


Always the Quest

by Giga_Kitten



Category: The Pirates of Dark Water
Genre: Adventure, Completion of canceled story, Explicit Sexual Content, Implied Bondage, Injury, M/M, Rare Fandoms, Rare Pairings, Rimming, Romance, Romantic Tension, after the show
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-14 23:06:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5762422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Giga_Kitten/pseuds/Giga_Kitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story takes place right after the crew of the Wraith has found the Eighth Treasure of Rule.<br/>A simple kiss from a drunken pirate causes Ren to question himself, his future, and how his life is going.</p>
<p>(Yo, I just realized my mistake on how many treasures I had said they had gotten! <b>Eight</b> not ten! Ah, I'm a moron sometimes, or scatter brained, hard to tell.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Drunken Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera  
> Uh... Yeah, there is sex in this story.  
> I'm also leading up to finishing the quest. I hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I do,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ioz kisses Ren and causes some tense feelings and confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera

**Ch1**

**(Drunken Kisses)**

 

The Wraith was set in port at Janda-town, one of the more favorable ports for at least two of its crew members; Ioz and Tula had left the ship to go gambling, and possibly drinking, while Ren and Niddler had stayed on the ship to once again repair the sails and any other possible areas that needed fixing.

“Noy jitat!” Exclaimed Ren in frustration as he finished nailing down another board, he had repaired one that had broken in the hull of their ship. Niddler, he assumed, was already done patching the sails; after all, the Monkey-bird was fast asleep on deck after having consumed his body weight in minga melons.

The young prince wiped sweat from his brow and fell backwards, landing on his rear. This was hard work, and he hoped to Kunda that his two humanoid companions had at least gotten some provisions amidst their less savory ventures. After all, they still had five Treasures of Rule to find! Having found eight was fantastic, but the blue eyed male figured that the last five would be the most difficult to find, and Dark Water was now encroaching fast upon their planet. Well, _that_ would be due to the Dark Dweller having surfaced from his confines deep within the twenty seas, but that meant that their journey was more dire than ever!

Ren’s panting from the hard work quieted as he heard heavy steps on the overhead, someone was on the main deck. With any luck, it was not scavengers, and instead it would be one of his companions. His assertions were proven correct when a clearly drunken Ioz lumbered down the stairs into the lower quarters of the ship where the prince was currently resting from the hard work.

 

“Where is that Naja dog of a wench?!” Ioz questioned Ren, his eyes were glossed over with intoxication; he was _very_ drunk, and had probably lost, or maybe won a bet or two at Zoolie’s game-house, judging by the fact that he had obviously gained enough money to get drunk as a Dartha-eel.

 

“Ioz!” The blond male exclaimed; he was astonished that the older pirate would have said anything insulting about Tula in the first place, but the scarred man’s disdain for the woman was sometimes very clear to him since the day they had met, and it was still aggravating. A woman was _not_ supposed to be on a ship, and Ioz had said it time and time again. The prince, of course, liked her company since she was kinder than Ioz for the most part.

“Don’t you insult Tula unless she can fight back. She’s an ecomancer, by Kunda. And a good ship-mate, at that!” Ren was only teasing the drunken pirate, but he was a little peeved by the insults that were blatantly thrown around.

His older companion stared at him, obviously disgruntled. Ren almost regretted saying a word at all, because the brunette male seemed very irritated by something. The prince’s hand moved slowly to the broken sword on his belt; he was ready to knock the older pirate’s sword away if Ioz was looking for a fight. He had not seen the other male quite so belligerent before, and it was astonishing to him; what on Mer could have happened to cause Ioz to be so ornery? Kunda willing, there would be no quarrel between them.

 

“Insult?” The older pirate asked in a rather menacing way. “This time, I meant it as a compliment. She is, after all, a beautiful lady.” His exotic accent was heavy as he spoke, and Ren could only stare at him cautiously. A drunken Ioz was a dangerous man. He was unpredictable, which was obvious by how he was speaking now; Ren had no desire to combat his ship-mate, but fear was settling into the deep pit of his stomach. Where was Tula? Then again, maybe she should stay away; obviously, the older pirate wanted the ecomancer for something that the prince could hardly fathom at this point.

 

Yes, she was beautiful. And, yes, Ren desired her from time to time; she was strong, and she always smelled of summer and sweet flowers, which was rather interesting seeing as they were confined to a small ship for weeks on end. He loved her green eyes, and her mischievous smile, and her smooth, tawny skin. Was he in love with her..? Well, maybe so, but there were more pressing matters at hand; he could ask her to be his bride when all of Mer was saved.

“Ioz, I don’t know what you have planned, but you had better sleep on it before you act.” The blond prince said indignantly. The older pirate only sneered and looked away.

 

Ioz was plainly ignoring the fact that Ren had gone for his sword so quickly; did the boy not trust him? Well, no honor among thieves, he supposed. “Jitata boy…” The scarred man was gritting his teeth as he spoke; something was clearly agitating him. Ren had no idea what it was, since his male ship-mate was usually a jolly drunk.

The prince ignored the insult that had been aimed towards him and looked around to see if there were any more holes in the wooden hull that needed patching. There were none. Then, it was time to eat and set out to get provisions; he was frustrated that Ioz had chosen to drink and gamble rather than do something worthwhile.

 

“You can be as cantankerous as you want, _Ioz_ , but at least tell me that you won money at Zoolie’s game-house. We need provisions. Food is running low, and I’m fairly certain Niddler ate most of our minga melons, again.” Ren’s voice was low as he spoke; he was cautiously moving closer to the older male to lay a hand on one of his dark and muscular arms. He was trying to pacify the other male as well as he possibly could; they were like brothers, so he hoped to Kunda that there would be no fighting on their ship!

 

The older pirate was quiet for a moment as his dark eyes turned back to Ren; he seemed to be contemplating something in his deeply intoxicated mind. Finally, he spoke, “Of course I won. For once. That darva worm Zoolie finally let in some very lousy gamblers.” Ioz grinned, dissipating any worries that the young prince had. There was the pirate that he had grown to adore!

 

Ren just grinned right back at his ship-mate, who was pulling out a bag of coins from his belt. When the money was handed over, the young prince gave thanks to his friend. “Well, isn’t this our lucky day? Anything you want from the market, then?” He asked the older man joyfully; it was rare that they had so much money! Usually they just got by, but this was more than enough to buy food to last them a couple of weeks.

 

“Anything but those jitaten minga melons!” Ioz said, and then laughed heartily; Ren laughed along with him and gave a nod. He would, of course, still get those for Niddler, but he and his other humanoid companions did need more sustenance than just some fruit could provide.

As Ren turned to go, the older pirate spoke once more. “Oh, and Ren,” He said in a low voice, causing the younger male to turn back towards him, curious of what he wanted now.

“Don’t think of going for your sword again; I may be ready for a quarrel, but even I do not attack my friends.” Ioz’s voice was rather stern, but his smile was still in place; the prince, however, eyed him warily. He knew it had been a bad move, but a drunken pirate was hard to read! The unpredictability of an intoxicated pirate was proven to him in the next minute when Ioz leaned down to kiss him firmly on the lips.

 

The blond prince backed away quickly with his eyes narrowed at his older friend. That was… Strange, just strange, and somewhat disgusting since the scarred pirate reeked of booze. Why would Ioz do that?! It had to be the alcohol!

“Ah, hah… Ioz, you’d better lay off the drink for a while, because I think you aren’t seeing straight.” Ren gave a nervous laugh as he spoke; he wiped his mouth and began to walk backwards towards the stairs that led to the deck, his blue eyes were fixed on Ioz and filled with uncertainty.

Ioz, however, just stood there silently. His dark eyes seemed darker than before as he watched Ren back away. The young prince was not sure if it was hurt or anger that was in the older pirate’s gaze, but he had no real intention of finding out.

 

The older pirate finally let out a forced laugh. “Sorry. You are right, I wasn’t seeing straight. I am afraid I was thinking of some pretty wenches back in town. I must have let my imagination get the best of me!” Although there was laughter in his voice, it was quite clearly artificial. Even the prince could tell when someone was being disingenuous, despite still being a little naive about the world.

Ren just gave a weak smile and nodded; he supposed he would give his friend the benefit of the doubt, but his words were so forced. For a moment, the blond haired male felt bad. He felt guilty for acting so repulsed; Ioz was not bad looking, and he was a friend. But… He was also more like a brother to Ren, wasn’t he? The prince’s heart seemed to have dropped into his stomach, it felt like there were dagrons flying around in there; what was he to do?

The prince finally turned his back on the older man and plodded up the stairs slowly; he had to think about what the kiss had meant, and what Ioz wasn’t telling him. His lips still felt warm, and he thought that he must be blushing. Ren furrowed his brow as he continued to ponder, agilely stepping over the sleeping Monkey-bird on deck and heading to the small seaside town to find the market.


	2. Uncertain Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren avoids Ioz while he contemplates what the kiss could have meant, and begins to question his own feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera  
> Um... No sexy times yet. -Waggles eyebrows- Just hold your dagrons and all shall come to a head.  
> Head. Heh, get it?   
> Oh WAIT! You're going to have to wait _chapters_ until that happens.   
>  MUAHAHAHAHA!

**Ch2**

**(Uncertain Thoughts)**

 

_‘We have spent months together… I never took him for liking men, I thought he liked Tula… She’s beautiful, and I am a man! It must be the alcohol, it must… But why did he look so hurt? Why were his words so ungenuine?’_ Ren thought to himself, his mind racing with uncertainties; he had thought they would be closer to fighting over Tula than being interested in each other. And, yet, he never considered that Ioz would have feelings for him… Or that he might now be having strange thoughts about his friend, too. There was now a newer possibility on their journey; he had two people to choose from, but which was the right choice?

Which was right for him? Which of them had feelings for him?! He had just assumed his female companion was the right choice, after all if he became king he would need a queen; was that really true, though? But then his kingdom would have no heir if he chose Ioz… It was so confusing!

He had hardly realized that he had made it to the market already. Ren looked around, buying up anything that their ship was in need of: ropes, hardtack biscuits, some minga melons, more wood, et cetera. He was trying to take his mind off of previous events by being the most thorough with provisions that he could be. Ioz’s gold would be more than enough for everything that he had picked out!

After an hour, his arms were loaded with provisions and tools to help them on their voyage; he, however, was begrudgingly trudging back to the ship. He would have to face the older pirate eventually, and now the dark haired male should be far from drunk. But, if Tula was there, then maybe he wouldn’t have to say anything at all… Yet.

 

Ren returned to the Wraith, peering around. Niddler seemed to have moved down below the deck, and Ioz was nowhere to be seen. The young prince had been lucky enough to rent a cart to carry all of his supplies before he got back to the ship, which was Kunda-sent, since it all had been awfully heavy. He dragged the cart aboard and began to unload the non-perishables first, placing the rope, wood, and other such things in a corner of the upper deck.

Cautiously, he brought the cart to the entrance of the stairway so that he could take their food below. “All right…” The blond prince mumbled to himself, grabbing some of the food and slowly making his way down the stairs; with what he bought, it would take three trips alone, but with any luck at least the Monkey-bird would be awake to help him.

Once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the inner cabin, he noticed that Ioz was completely passed out, and Niddler was munching on a minga melon that probably had been stowed away for later. “Oh good, can you give me some help?” The prince asked in a hushed voice, his eyes flickering back and forth between the eating Monkey-bird and the sleeping older pirate. He wanted to make sure that Ioz didn’t wake, yet.

 

“Aw, and I just woke up, too!” The reddish Monkey-bird said in a whiny voice, but he still did as he was asked; he grabbed the minga melons first, of course, and gave Ren a delighted grin. As they both put away they food rations for the ship, Ren noticed Ioz stirring in the corner of his eye. Great, now he might have to deal with a hung-over pirate rather than a flirtatious drunken one.

 

He busied himself with putting the food in proper storage, but he could feel the older pirate’s dark eyes boring into him. Ren tried to stifle the blush that was rising up from his neck and into his cheeks. The scarred pirate was now sitting on his cot, blatantly looking at his prince. The blond boy tried hard not to notice, but when he turned to go grab more food from the cart placed at the top of the stairs his eyes locked with Ioz’s.

“Ah, you’re awake, you old dartha eel!” Ren said in what he thought was a jovial manner, but the slight trembling in his voice would not go unnoticed by his male companion. “Why don’t you help Niddler and me put the food away? And thank you for the means to buy it all with! With any luck, we will be able to search for the last Treasures of Rule for a few weeks before docking in a harbor.” The prince said, his voice louder than normal for when he was happy; the smile that was placed on his lips gave an awkward twitch and Ioz narrowed his eyes, but the older male just nodded and got up to help as well.

 

After the blond prince was done putting away what he had in his arms, he headed back up the stairs again to grab anything that was left; when he was nearing the middle of the stairs, Ioz came down with more provisions in hand, and it felt as if time was standing still for a moment.

“Ren,” The older man whispered in a very low voice, almost so low that the boy could almost miss what he was saying. The prince looked over at his pirate companion, who in turn looked very serious. “We will have to speak of what happened later. But, it is important; both you and I know that.” Ioz said with utmost solemnity. Ren’s hair bristled a little, but he gave a curt nod in response; he was sure that the scarred pirate could see his deep blush even in the darkness of the area below deck. The older man just smiled in return, seemingly content with the silent response.


	3. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren continues to contemplate his situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera
> 
> Not quite at the relationship parts yet. But Ren finally decides it is time to face Ioz.

**Ch3**

**(Confusion)**

 

The sun was setting now, and Ren had been actively avoiding his male companion; he had returned the cart to its rightful owner and even paid Zoolie a visit, questioning where Tula was. The dark haired female had seemingly disappeared out of nowhere, so when the young man returned to the ship it was just him, Niddler, and Ioz.

The prince leaned on the railing of the Wraith, staring off in the distance at the sunset and contemplating exactly what he should do. ’ _Beautiful Tula..? The could-be mother of my children, and an adoring yet headstrong wife… Or… Ioz? He’s so rough around the edges, and he is a true pirate! Even if we finish our mission in one piece, he would always be out to sea in search of adventure and treasure… But that kiss, it was so warm and genuine. Does he love me? And for how long has he felt that way?_ ’

Ren was lost in thought as Tula finally came aboard the ship; her green eyes lingered on the blond male before she quieitly headed down below deck to speak with her other two companions. The ecomancer was curious as to why the prince seemed to have his head in the clouds; he had not even noticed her return!

 

“Hey, you two!” She demanded roughly, seeing Niddler and Ioz playing a round of something to do with cards, and no doubt gambling on something or another.

“What’s wrong with Ren? He didn’t see me at all. He looks, I don’t know, sad or something?” Tula asked when her two other companions looked up at her. She didn’t want to pry with her ecomantic powers, and more than likely she would not have been able to anyways.

 

Both the Monkey-bird and the male pirate shrugged; Ioz’s eyes went back to his cards and only Niddler answered, “Who knows? He’s been like that all day. Maybe he met a girl on shore, or something. I mean, if that isn’t the look of being love-stricken, I don’t know what is!” Niddler laughed and shook his head; his laughter, however, was cut short when the female gave him a clear look of disdain. Did she like Ren? Was she jealous?

Ioz eyed her warily above his hand of cards and smiled inwardly; so she and Ren did not have something going on, yet. Then the prince could be his, and if Ren did look love-struck, then maybe he really did have a chance. He would have to talk with Ren soon either way.

 

After another thirty minutes or so an eager to gamble Tula had joined the group. Ren made his way downstairs. His eyes widened to see that his female ship-mate was aboard already; when had that happened?!

“Tula! Greetings, it is good to see you!” The prince spoke with true joy in his voice, but the underlying apprehension was still there.

 

For a moment, the woman did not even lift her eyes to look up at the prince; she, however, could not be angry for too long. “Good of you to _finally_ notice me.” She said in a mock-cold voice, and a wide grin spread across her face. The dark haired woman was sure that Ren had not been ignoring her on purpose, and she would not hold a grudge against him.

“Why don’t you join us? Somehow Niddler has won a month’s worth of minga melons all to himself. I think that you could give him a run for his money.” She spoke joyously as her vibrant eyes were now glancing down at her cards again.

 

The blond male stepped forward, ready to join in on their little game, even if he had nothing to wager. However, he stopped short of his empty seat when he noticed that Ioz’s dark eyes were upon him again; that stare made him feel incredibly uncomfortable, and very shy. Whether or not the others could feel it, he could quite plainly sense something akin to lust coming off in waves from the older man’s stare. When had Ren become the object of affection of his scarred companion in the first place?! He was so confused; had there been any hints at all? He tried to think back to the adventures that they had together, especially ones where both he and Ioz were alone, but no inkling of affection beyond the brotherly kind came to mind.

Ren took his seat at the table; he would lose miserably due to his wandering mind, but he did want to appease his ship-mates by joining in their little game.

“So, what are we betting with?” The prince asked apprehensively, eyeing his ship-mates carefully.

 

“Well, Tula and I both put some of our best alcohol on the line.” Ioz just grinned, and so did Tula; just great, either way Ren would have to deal with drunken ship-mates. At least Niddler was content with minga melons. 

“Hmm…” Ren hummed thoughtfully to himself. What would he put up for bet? “Then, I will put down gold, I suppose.” The young prince tossed the small sack of gold onto the table with everyone else’s spoils. Whoever won would be happy that night.

 

“Well, since I got what I wanted and most of that other stuff doesn’t interest me,” The Monkey-bird began, “Then I shall take my minga melons and let you three compete.” He gave as much of a smile as a beaked creature could give before grabbing an entire armful of melons and waddling off to the sleeping area of the small cabin of the ship.

 

After nearly an hour had passed, Tula stood from the small table. She had been losing now, and Ren had a very nice pile of spoils in front of him, as did Ioz. “Well, you boys have fun, I’m going to get some sleep since we’re leaving port in the morning.” The ecomancer gave an off-handed wave as she headed to the sleeping area as well. 

 

Quietly, Ioz spoke when he was sure that their female companion and the Monkey-bird were asleep. “I think we had both better give up now. I have more hooch than I know what to do with, and a boy like you probably does too. Besides…” The older man seemed rather uncomfortable as he shifted in his seat; his clear discomfort was disconcerting to Ren. He had already been on edge around Ioz after earlier, and now they were alone.

“We should go on deck, I need to speak with you.” The darker haired male said after what felt like an eternity. He collected his spoils of alcohol and gold before heading up the wooden stairs to the deck. After some consideration, Ren did the same, but he only grabbed one glass bottle of booze since he was not much of a drinker; he did, however, figure that whatever conversation they might have would lead to him needing the added confidence that intoxication could give someone.


	4. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ioz confesses his feelings towards Ren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera
> 
> There's M/M kissing and sexual thoughts in this chapter.  
> Enjoy. I really love this show, so I hope in the end (even if you do not like the coupling) I am able to do it justice by finishing the quest.  
> And yes, this _is_ also on my tumblr dedicated to fanworks.

**Ch4**

**(Confessions)**

 

“All right, Ioz, what do you want to talk about?” The prince asked as he made his way over to his older friend, who was seated on a crate. Ren continued to stand, even though the scarred pirate had scooted over a little to make room for him.

 

“Chongo longo, Ren! You know well what I want to talk about, so do not make this harder on me than it already is, _jitaten_ boy.” The dark haired pirate hissed through his teeth, seeming a little embarrassed; to remedy his embarrassment, he took a swig from one of the bottles he had brought up with him.

 

The prince was quiet again as his sapphire eyes just stared at his male companion with confusion and wariness. He decided this was as good a time as any to take a drink as well, and so he did. The blond male then sat next to Ioz, feeling a little uncomfortable at their close proximity. Surprisingly, the older male smelled kind of nice as the sea breeze wafted towards them; he was so used to Ioz being a stereotypical pirate that it was a little bit of a shock to him. It was almost as if the scarred man had actually tried to clean himself up for some reason.

“Well, Ioz, speak. We both know _what_ happened. I want to know why. I knew you were lying when you said that your imagination had gotten the best of you, but I also really thought you had eyes for Tula.” Ren took another deep swig from the bottle of his alcohol and hissed when the burning sensation hit his throat; it was definitely rum, or something of the like. It was not pleasant, but it was definitely potent!

 

It was Ioz’s turn to be quiet; he was contemplating what to say. What could he say? Oh yes, just coming out with a ‘Ren, I’m attracted to men and you are my type’ did not exactly seem like the best of choices. But he supposed it was better than any other things he could do or say; kissing the boy first had been a mistake.

“Ren,” The older man spoke, his voice wavering a little. “I have no desires for women, and especially not for Tula. By Kunda, I’ve seen how you look at her, and I would not take her from you even if I did want women in that way! But, I do have… Some desire for you.” There was a sadness to his voice as he spoke; the older man was apprehensive. In fact, Ren had never seen his older companion so nervous before.

Ioz went quiet again after he said his piece, and Ren just stared at him blankly; his eyes were glazing over just a little with intoxication from the alcohol that he had consumed.

 

Taking a deep breath, the prince opened and closed his mouth multiple times until he could think of what to say. The alcohol was clouding his mind a bit, but he was sure he could respond properly.

“Well,” He began, his eyes directed to the boards of the ship’s deck. “I don’t really know what to say. I have been putting our mission before any relationship, and yes I do fancy Tula. She’s a strong, beautiful woman… But, you do have your charm. You’re rough, you act cowardly sometimes, but you are always there for me. You have never turned your back on me even during the most dangerous parts of our trek.” The blond young man was trying to sort out his own feelings; he found, deep down, that he wanted _both_ Tula and Ioz. For very different reasons, but that realization was like a bolt of lightening had shot through him. He really was attracted to his male companion as well.

“Let me think on it, Ioz. We need to find the last Treasures of Rule before anything… But, I am not rejecting you. I just need time. As a prince, I need an heir, but as a man, I just want a companion.” The prince’s voice cracked a little; he found that tears were welling up in his eyes. He had a duty as a prince! But he also had his own desires, he had his own life to live. His hands were clasped tightly around the bottle of liquor that he held, and without another thought, he downed the rest of the bottle.

He had decided that if he was going to stress over such a thing, then he may as well drown out his troubles for a night.

 

Ioz, on the other hand looked a little relieved. He had not been cast off, he had not been ridiculed; although, he did feel bad for making the young prince feel so conflicted. He, too, took another swig from his bottle of rum and gave a slight hum of delight. Although, he was a little surprised to feel the blond male slump againt him, those large, blue eyes staring up at him in confusion. Ren was crying just a little, but he was also smiling at his older companion. His feelings were obviously tearing him apart inside, and that broke the older pirate’s heart just a little.

“Ren… May I kiss you again?” The dark eyed male asked this time; he was not drunk and belligerent like before, so he was in a more rational state of mind. Already, though, one of his large, rough hands had made its way to the prince’s cheek to carress it and wipe away those confused tears.

 

“Kiss?” Ren asked, his eyebrows knitting together as he thought about it for a minute. “Yes, kiss me. I want it this time, I’m ready.” He said softly, giving a small, strange laugh; of course he was still a bit apprehensive, but he seemed willing. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but alcohol was known to bring out the more honest side of people… Sometimes.

The scarred pirate nodded a little, moving his calloused hand down from Ren’s cheek to cup his chin and pull him up into a kiss. It was an awkward kiss; neither male knew exactly what they were doing. Well, Ioz knew how to kiss, and more, but each of them were a little uncertain. The kiss was soft and a little clumsy. The two males continued to kiss, each locking of their lips becoming more passionate; eventually, they pulled away and stared at each other with both longing and uncertainty. 

 

“Well?” Ioz asked, and Ren’s cheeks turned as red as their Monkey-bird companion’s feathers. The young prince turned away, touching his lips and smiling just slightly.

 

“Well what? It was… Good. I liked it. I mean, it was my first _true_ kiss, but it was better than what I had expected. And… You know, I’m a little relieved to know that I may not have to go through the courtship process that my father did.” The blond prince spoke honestly, and his blush deepened when he felt the older male’s hand resting upon his thigh.

“I just don’t know what to do, Ioz. A kingdom needs a leader and an heir, what do I do? I am willing to give this a chance, but how many people will it hurt?” Ren placed his hand over Ioz’s and held it gently; there was a slight flash of anger behind the older man’s dark eyes. However, he could not blame the prince for his doubts; he was royalty first and foremost, which meant an heir was expected. But the scarred man didn’t want to be the side lover while Ren had a wife and child after their expedition was done. Yes, it was selfish, but he was a greedy man by all rights.

 

Without another word, Ioz stood and pulled his had away from the boy. “Good night, Ren. You can sleep on it. I, for one, find love to be more important than what is expected of _your royal highness_.” The scarred man’s voice seethed with bitterness as he spoke; out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ren’s blatant confusion and hurt.

“We will continue our adventures. You have a long time to make up your mind, whether you choose Tula or me is up to you. But know this, _boy_ , I will not tolerate your indecisive attitude for much longer. In fact, I hope that you realize that even an heir to the throne is worthless if it is conceived solely for that purpose.” Ioz spat in anger, giving the young man a very fierce glare and grabbing those blond locks. “I love you. Know that and be aware.”

The older man leaned in for one more kiss; it was rough, passionate and domineering. He tugged the tie from Ren’s hair to free those silky, and somewhat messy locks of hair. “When you make a decision, tell me. For now, I may take what I can get; for starters I will make you look like the cowardly naja dog that you are!” He had not taken Ren’s words well, and the boy was just staring at him in disbelief. The prince’s entire body shook with both anger and fear; Ioz was not one to pick a fight with, but Ren was not one to back down. 

 

The prince stood as well, his fists clenched tightly, and his freed hair spilling over his shoulders to frame his face prettily. The light from the moons of Mer almost made him look like he was glowing; his eyes were narrowed, but he bit his bottom lip in a wanton display, not even lust could be hidden in the deep blue pools of his eyes. Maybe he liked the pirate’s indignant attitude just a little.

“Ioz, choose your battles carefully. I _am_ a prince, and above else, the safety of our planet and my kingdom is of utmost importance. We may play this game, but when our adventure is over I will make a decision. You, however, are going to have to do better than threaten me. In fact, I will give you one more chance, you… You kreld eater!” Ren spat back in defiance and moved in closer to his dark haired companion.

“Your next chance,” He said in a very low, almost lusty voice, “Will be to have your way with me. If I enjoy it, then I will consider greatly in choosing you. If you fail to please me, then I shall see what Tula can give me that you cannot.” Ren’s words were harsh, and he meant them even in his drunkenness. He had meant to hurt Ioz, and it had worked; the older man had his jaw clenched tightly as he glared back. 

 

A challenge was a challenge, and the scarred pirate was planning to win it no matter the cost. He would have Ren on his back, moaning and crying out his name when the chance came. After all, even if they were arguing now, he wanted the boy, he loved the boy. His skilled hands and experience would now prove useful.

Ioz just nodded in confirmation, giving Ren’s long hair a playful tug before handing back the leather tie that the prince usually kept his hair in. “You may regret those words, _my prince_.” The older pirate grinned menacingly. “I have far more experience than you know. But for now, I will keep my distance until I get my chance to prove myself.”

He ran a calloused hand lightly along the blue eyed male’s cheek, and the prince gave a soft sigh of resignation. What had he really agreed to? But this was Ioz, a trusted companion; yes, the man was a pirate, but his care for his friends was obvious. If anything, the boy knew deep down that the older male would do right by him, whether or not the end result was less than favorable to either of them.

 

“The next time we are in port. You can show me then.” The blond male just caressed Ioz’s cheek in return, even running a finger gently up the scar that graced the older man’s face; the pirate closed his eyes, leaning into the touch and allowing Ren to stroke the raised and rough flesh.

Afterwards, Ren turned and began to walk to the stairs; before he headed down, he turned to look over his shoulder and he gave Ioz a very sad and confused smile. His heart was torn, it really was. To choose between a trusted friend that he was slowly coming to terms with having feelings for and have no heir to his throne, or to choose a beautiful woman of which he had become attracted to over the course of a few months and produce a new prince to take over when he died… It was killing him, and he did not know what to do.

 

The darker haired male returned the sad smile and walked forward as well. They both headed down the stairs and made their way to their own beds. Drunk as they were, sleep did not seem to want to come to either of them; Ren tossed and turned, while Ioz pretended to be asleep, quietly pleasuring himself to the thoughts of the prince’s body writhing beneath him. He was the naja dog if anything! And he knew it well, but as a pirate he would always go for the most precious treasure, and in the end he would win it over.


	5. Tense Relations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren wonders if he really made the right decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera
> 
> Damn, 13 more chapters and we'll have gotten to where I am in the story. Hahahaha. (Not even close to done yet. Sorry)  
> Oh wait, that's actually a lot of chapters. Carry on.

**Ch5  
(Tense Relations)**

 

Ren had gotten up later than usual, and his head was pounding. “Nat-chut!” He hissed through clenched teeth. What kind of alcohol did he drink? Then again, the boy was only eighteen now and as a prince of a destroyed kingdom he had not drunk much before.

The blond male looked around the cabin of the ship, realizing that his crew was already awake, and that they were already setting off. He could feel the ship lurch forward, and it made his stomach lurch with it. He would have to remind himself not to drink with Ioz again! 

“Ay… Chonga!” The young prince remembered in his hung-over state the exact wager that he had made with his older friend. What was he to do? The blond man was still very confused as to where his feelings lay, and even more confused as to what would be right for him against what would be right for Mer and Octopon. 

He brought his hands to his feverish head and rubbed his throbbing temples, trying to think. He was not about to back down from his promise now, but the fact that he had actually given (technically) a set time as to when he would allow Ioz to show him what it was like to be with a man was unnerving. When would they next be in port? There was no saying that it could be weeks from now, or a mere few days. 

 

“Ren!” Came Tula’s impatient voice up from the deck. “You have to get up now, we need the compass to know where the next treasure is!” The dark haired woman peered down into the cabin, her bright, green eyes nearly glowing in the dimness of the area under the deck. 

 

The prince eyed her groggily, wanting to tell her to keep it down! Instead, he mumbled out a “Be right up.” Before trying to get a hold of himself so that he would not vomit all over his sleeping area. He really had drunk too much, and… Had last night really happened? It must have, since it felt like his head was being hammered by Bloth himself. 

 

Tula just nodded, somewhat noticing that her blond companion did not seem himself. “Well, you better hurry;  we’re already thirty minutes out of port.” The woman said sternly. 

 

Ren grimaced; she was beautiful, but by Kunda she could be shrill after a drinking session. Maybe this was why Ioz really preferred to not have women on board; but, she was also trustworthy and strong, and an absolute necessity to their crew. He began to walk to the stairs, and Tula disappeared back onto the deck; distantly he could hear her and Ioz quarreling about something ridiculous no doubt.

 

“You should have let the boy sleep!” Came Ioz’s voice, sounding more concerned than he ever really had before. “We celebrated last night, and I’ll tell you one thing, that boy probably hadn’t had a drop of liquor before that. Leave him be, wench.” The older pirate spoke from  the helm of the ship, steering masterfully, as always.

 

“Well, that’s your fault in the first place, _Ioz_.” The young woman retorted, her arms crossed. Ren watched from the second step up and smiled lightly; Ioz was sticking up for him, so maybe there was more to the dark haired male than the prince had noticed. But, Tula did have a point.

 

“Honestly,” Added Niddler, munching on one of the many minga melons that Ren had bought the day prior. “We _could_ have stayed in port for a day or two longer. I mean, how long until I get this many minga melons as this again?!” Complained the Monkey-bird, although he seemed to be eating slowly so as not to go through provisions too quickly.

“And you two should leave Ren alone; I _know_ for a fact that the both of you gambled the entire day yesterday while we slaved away on the ship. Besides, he got us food, and supplies for repairs!” The red feathered creature continued, giving a small ‘humph’ of dissatisfaction. He felt that the woman was being a little hard on Ren, and maybe a little hard on Ioz as well since the money for provisions had been won by the older pirate.

 

The prince just smiled; although his pounding headache was still present, he was grateful for being praised. In fact, Ioz even sticking up for him brought a blush to his face. Maybe it would not be too bad to try having a male lover… They did understand each other on a fundamental level. 

He just did not know, yet, where life would take him. Maybe… Ioz would be all right with being a side lover, and he would let the prince marry Tula for an heir? He doubted it, but if he could get the discussion started, then maybe he could make the scarred man see it his way. Then again, he still did not know Tula’s feelings for him at all. But she had _seemed_ jealous when Ioz’s sister, Solia, had flirted with him.

“All right, no more fighting!” Ren finally piped up, emerging fully onto the deck. “We have more important business to attend to.” He said as he moved closer to Ioz and held the compass out in hopes that it would show the direction of the next treasure; that way, the older male could begin to move the ship in the proper direction instead of steering aimlessly. The dark haired male noticed Ren’s closeness and smiled inwardly; already the boy was warming up to him, even after their interesting conversation. He might win Ren over yet!

 

Ioz tilted his head to whisper to Ren very silently, “How are you doing, Ren?” At least it was some show of affection, but it was no apology for getting the boy drunk and wagering his virginity to the older pirate.

 

In turn, the tired, but absolutely gorgeous blue pools of the prince’s eyes locked onto the pirate. “I could be better. If we do… What we wagered upon, please do not get me drunk again. I don’t think I could handle another jitaten hang-over!” He whisered back softly, sounding weary and apprehensive, but this was the kindest he had seen the scarred man act in a while. He could not be certain, but was Ioz trying courtship in his own way? Maybe so.

As Ren held his compass up, a beam of light finally appeared, pointing the way to the next treasure in the distance.

“That way!” Ren called out suddenly, pointing at the light beam. It was pointing south-west towards the Floating Coral Reef (it was odd to him, since the first treasure had been there as well. But, then again, the reef did move with the sea.) He just hoped to Kunda that they wouldn’t have to go too far under the water to find it, or that Dark Waters had already claimed the area.

 

“Chongo Longo, Ren.” Ioz said with displeasure as he turned the wheel of the ship. “I hope you know that if it is in the reef, then you go alone. I would rather avoid the waters around there. And what do we do if there is Dark Water?” The older pirate inquired.

 

The blond prince just looked at him and gave a half-hearted shrug; going into the reef wasn’t his idea of a good time, either. “We do what we must, Ioz. For the sake of Mer, we _must_ receive all of the treasures, and you know that!” The urgency in Ren’s voice drove the idea home to all of his ship-mates; after all, if they did not gather all of the Treasures of Rule, then there would be no more Mer to live on anyhow. 

“But if you are afraid, then I will go. There are an abundance of amphecytes in the sea, and I will dive as far as I must to get it. Air should be no problem, since I have swam pretty deep before. Remember when we had that baby leviathan? I had to chase Mantus down with one of those disgusting creatures on my head, but in the end it was worth it.” The prince spoke as if it had not been a matter of life or death at all. Pride was a very good way to hide fear, after all.

 

Ioz was silent for a moment as he steered in the proper direction; the look of worry on his face almost made the blond prince want to turn back, but they could not! Not now. “What if there is Dark Water? We have no leviathan skin suits to protect you, and if there is Stecca-fog, then our ship will disintigrate…” 

The scarred pirate was actually worried for his prince; Ren knew the man’s feelings, and he had known that the dark eyed man had definitely worried about him before. But after last night’s confession, this felt… Different, and the older man looked far more fearful to the prince than Ren had ever seen before.

 

“It will be _fine_. We have found a way against nearly impossible hardships before, I think we can do it again.” Ren spoke in his most vivacious voice, or at least as much as he could muster with the pounding headache that was plaguing him so. 

“If you wish to help, though, I would not complain.” Ren gave a crooked grin as he spoke, raising one of his eyebrows. Ioz smirked in return and nodded just slightly. Whether it was confirmation that he would help, or that he trusted Ren, the prince was still grateful.

 

“I may join you. I would rather you _not_ die before we set to port… You know.” The older pirate said the words in a low tone, his voice a-flame with lust; it was a selfish reason, but it also meant that the prince could trust on where his older companion’s loyalty lay.

  
Ren could feel his stomach doing those odd flip-flops again, and he turned his face downward so that Ioz could not see his blush. Despite his hang-over, he was actually feeling a little turned on by the desire in the pirate’s voice; it was almost as if he could smell the pheromones exuding from Ioz. He could not let his ship-mates see him in such a shameful state, but he knew that Ioz was looking at him intently, and he knew exactly where the dark haired man was staring, as well.

 

  
Ioz let out another very quiet whisper to the prince, as if to egg him on, “We could settle our wager before settling our ship in port, _you know_ … Although we may get found out.” He spoke in a jesting manner, patting Ren on the back lightly. The prince, however, shook his head and rested both hands in front of his crotch so that his rising erection would not be apparent. The older pirate did notice, of course, but he said nothing and instead he gave a hum of satisfaction. Things were going his way, after all.

 

“Must you jest at a time like this, Ioz?!” Ren whispered, feeling rather agitated; he was a hormonal teenage male, even if he had just hit adult-hood, his body had no control of its mechanisms of desire. He did not even know what to expect when losing his virginity, and especially not to a man. 

But the older pirate was making in extra difficult for him not to imagine certain things. How did these sorts of things work? His care-taker, Jenna, had not explained much to him at all about such things, so he could only rely on imagination. Oh, if anyone found out that he had promised his royal virginity to a male, the people of his kingdom would be livid!

“Scupango…” Ren muttered, keeping his gaze away from the other male; he was trying to think of far less attractive things. “I am going to fish up an amphecyte or two. I need to clear my head, you naja dog!” He hissed at Ioz, but the insult was said with a deep affection buried within it, and it had not gone unnoticed. The scarred man was just grinning as he steered the ship; he rather liked getting under the prince’s skin, and he loved to see the blush that was tinting the blond boy’s tanned flesh. 

Ren walked away, keeping his mind set on fishing up amphecytes; even the thought of putting one of those disgusting sea creatures on his head had made his arousal completely disappear. The prince picked up a net, tying it to the railings of the Wraith and tossing it into the water. With any luck he would get a catch quickly, but one could never tell what the sea would give; the ocean was a tricky mistress that just loved to disappoint those who sailed upon her.

 

After three boring hours or so of waiting, Ren hauled the net up and to his delight he had caught a few of the air-filled creatures! But the reef was a few hours away still. It was so far from Janda town; they would reach the Monkey-bird Island, Pandawa, first. He did not even truly know if the treasure lay in the reef, or if their turbulent planet had created a stretch of land that rose up with one of the treasures upon it.

He was somewhat afraid of admitting that they might have to rest at the island first; what if Ioz wanted to do that if they did?! The prince would not know what to do! The boy was actually a little frightened, but he hoped that his look would seem like he was just still feeling a little ill from the night before. 

 

“Hey, _hey_!” Ren was interrupted from his both erotic and disturbing thoughts as he heard Niddler speak up excitedly. 

“Why don’t we stop at Pandawa first? There are _so_ many minga melons, and I would sure be happy to see the queen and her baby.” The red feathered creature just had to mention how close they were to his homeland, didn’t he? Ren did not want to look up from his haul of amphecytes, but he did so anyhow, just to see what Ioz might be thinking.

 

The older pirate was still at the helm of the ship, quietly steering. Finally, he spoke after his dark eyes settled on Ren. “I do believe that we may want to ask the prince _first_. We have our rations; you will get too fat to fly if you keep eating so many melons, Monkey-bird!” Ioz said the taunt in more of a jesting way, but he was silently questioning Ren with his eyes as to what they should do.

 

“Oh Ren, can we _please_?” Asked Niddler; the excitement in his voice was palpable. The young prince did not want to disappoint his ship-mate, especially at the prospect of seeing his people. Ren would do the same, after all he did miss Octopon and his care-taker, Jenna.

 

“I think it is a good idea, as well.” Tula piped up, “I wish to gather more soil and fresh water for my plants. And a break from the sea where we can eat in the company of more friends sounds nice.” The dark haired girl gave a genuine smile, and Ren knew he would have to give in.

 

“All right. We will rest on Pandawa first. Maybe, with luck, the treasure will be there and not in the reef, or some unexpected land-mass.” He tried to sound as excited as they were, but his apprehension was getting the better of him.   
Would he lose his virginity already? Surely Ioz would give him time; after all, this was not exactly a port, right?

His blue eyes flickered from Ioz and then down to the boards of the deck. He had to look up, he needed a visual cue as to what the older man was thinking. Reluctantly, he looked up again and stared directly at Ioz, who, in turn, gave a tiny shake of his head for negative confirmation; Ren gave a small sigh of relief, knowing that his male ship-mate was not going to force him to do anything against his will. It was interesting that a pirate, who had once worked for Bloth no less, was a fairly decent person (even if he loved treasure a little too much.)

The prince gave a genuine smile now, but both Tula and Niddler were busying themselves with trimming the sails as Ioz steered towards the fast-approaching island. The ship slowed, and soon they had reached the shore of the rather large island, and Ren just hoped that the Monkey-birds were doing well. Last time they had been here, slave traders had come back again and were terrorizing the poor creatures again, brain-washing them and forcing them to capture each other. So far, however, the island seemed fairly quiet and peaceful.

After they had tied up the sails and set their anchor, all of the members of the Wraith, with the exception of Niddler, climbed off of the ship using a large plank of wood to walk onto the beach; Niddler flew off, happily landing near one of the minga melon trees. The Monkey-bird made a cooing noise, similar to a happy parrot or spider monkey, and pulled one of the fresh fruits from the tree.

 

Tula, on the other hand, was beginning to head further inland to look for proper soil for her plants. As an ecomancer, nature was her true calling, so she had decided she would do anything to help the planet to survive, even on their own ship. Growing magical plants was necessary, for both receiving money and sustenance.

 

Ioz and Ren walked slowly together; the prince stayed back and walked beside the pirate because he was sure that the older male had something on his mind, and as a friend the young man was willing to listen. 

“Do you not trust me, _Ren_?” Asked the scarred pirate, his voice containing just a tiny bit of hurt. “I was joking with you. This is not the time, nor the place for such acts. I realize that as a prince you have a facade to keep up… And as your friend, I have my own duty to be understanding of you and your needs. We are _not_ somewhere where we can both enjoy some time alone, and I _know_ that your mind is wandering to the treasure that your compass is trying to lead us to.” Ioz sounded so kind and genuine, and the younger male felt rather guilty to have even wondered of the pirate’s motives. After all, the older man was perfectly sober at that moment, and therefore he would not do anything brash like he had the day before.

 

“I _do_ trust you, Ioz.” The prince looked up at his taller friend, but the guilt was apparent in his bright, blue eyes. The dark haired male just grinned a little; he knew that the boy was lying, but at the same time he could not blame Ren for worrying about his motives. He had been a bit of a dishonorable kreld eater before he joined the prince’s crew, after all. Well, that and he had sort of forced his younger companion into wagering his own virginity, just to see if they were meant to be together. He was in love with Ren, so he wanted the boy very badly and he had done a rather despicable thing to get what he wanted; again, truly no honor among thieves.


	6. Dangerous Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wraith is over-taken by Bloth's crew and Ren is captured. The young prince is left to the mercy of his greatest foe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera
> 
> Some mild violence in this chapter. No real romantic tension.  
> We'll get back to that soon, though.

**Ch6**

**(Dangerous Waters)**

 

 

The crew of the Wraith had enjoyed a celebratory lunch with the Monkey-birds of the island. And Tula had found the soil and water she was searching for. Now they were back out to sea, and the compass was still pointing towards the Floating Coral Reef, or at least in that general direction. At this rate, however, it would be dark by the time they reached it!

The compass was stead-fast in its directions, and Ren could not ignore its magical pull. He had been told before how difficult the last treasures would be to find, but he had also wished that luck would be on his side.

  
Ren stared out at the horizon dejectedly as the ship sailed on and Tula approached him; the boy could feel Ioz’s eyes upon them, but he was certain that the woman did not notice at all.

“What is bothering you, Ren?” She asked softly, her green eyes showing clear concern for his well-being. He ignored his male companion’s gaze and chose to answer her; of course, there was too much to explain about what was bothering him. He doubted that he could tell her about his wager with Ioz, and he knew she would not be happy with it at all. Whether it was because she had feelings for him, or because she thought that it was just unfair to the prince, he just knew she would be greatly distressed by it.

 

So, for now he chose to voice his concern for the nightfall that was soon to come. “I believe we are being pointed towards the Floating Coral Reef. But we spent so long on Monkey-bird Island that it may be dark before long. Searching for anything under the water, even when the moons are bright, is still dangerous.” He tried to explain in a way where he would not sound as if anything else was bothering him.

Of course, the dark haired female gazed at him with slight uncertainty. After a few minutes, she agreed; there was no use in asking him if anything else was wrong if he would not say it out-right. Both of them, however, were interrupted by a screech that came from Niddler.

 

“Scupango! It’s the Maelstrom!” Cried the Monkey-bird, and both Tula’s and Ren’s head’s turned east-ward to see the very large ship in the distance; it was almost hard to make out, since the sun was making its way to that direction, but the shape of the terrifying ship was certain. Even more certain were the silhouettes of dagrons and their riders coming towards the Wraith at full-speed!

 

“Ioz!” Ren yelled with urgency to the older pirate who was steering, “Is there any way to outrun them?” Unfortunately for them, the wind was not behind their sails; it was not in front, but it was not helping them in any way.

 

“We may try, but I do believe that those dagrons are closing in on us. Luck would be more on our side if we stood our ground and fought those chongo bilge rats!” The pirate was quick to grab his sword as the creatures and their riders closed in on the Wraith; of course one of the riders was Konk. Ioz swung his sword at the piglet’s dagron, which caused the short, peg-legged man to pull up and away from the ship, giving a boastful laugh down at the scarred pirate.

 

“What you want, Ioz? We come only in peace.” The gruff voice of the fat little man came mockingly, and he laughed; of course it was a lie, and Ioz swung his sword again in hopes of cutting off Konk’s other leg. They had finally been getting close to the treasure, and Ioz was agitated about their delay; he was selfish again, because he felt that if Ren did not get his treasure, then his mind would be too distracted to keep his promise even when they were anchored safely in a harbor.

 

“Of course you do, you cowardly Gantha Pig!” The dark haired pirate spoke sarcastically, sneering at the piglet with disdain. “And I am sure you are going to shower us with gold, as well!” He was agilely trying to chase the peg-legged male from the ship with his sword, while the other two dagron riders were fighting with Tula and Ren. Ioz may have gotten an incompetent battle partner, but the yellow eyed male with the peg-leg was fairly good at dodging when he was in the air.

  
Unfortunately for the rest of the crew, one of the riders was Mantus, Bloth’s second in command himself, and he was attacking Ren with fervor. The prince was dodging backwards and swinging with his broken sword; he was trying fiercly to get away from his attacker, and Tula, with her luck, was facing one of the Lug brothers. Of course, she was the only one having luck enough to fend off her attacker, Ren, on the other hand, gave a cry of surprise as Mantus knocked the sword from the boy’s hand.

 

“Luck is not on your side this time, boy. We could see the light from your compass from miles away!” Mantus spoke coldly, spitting in the prince’s face as an act of defiance, which caught the blond boy off guard; Ren tried to jump back blindly while wiping the spittle away with one hand and grabbing at his sword with the other, but Mantus’ dagron had grabbed the blue eyed prince by the arm reaching for his sword, lifting him roughly into the air.

“Come on, we’ve gotten what we have come for!” Cried Mantus to the other two riders, who looked relieved to be able to head back to the Maelstrom. None of them were particularly happy to have to be on the unruly dagrons, except for Mantus who was a master pilot.

Pain shot throught Ren’s arm as the winged reptilian creature’s claws dug deeper into his flesh as he was carried through the air swiftly to the Maelstrom.

 

“Ren!” Came all of his companions’ cries in unision as they tried to chase down Mantus before his dagron had completely departed fromt heir ship. But they were too late; the prince was being flown away by one arm and doing his best to get away without losing most of his appendage. He was swordless and would soon be at the mercy of Bloth. He would be thrown to the Constrictus again, and his compass would be in the hands of his most hated enemy.

 

Already Ioz was at the wheel of the ship, turning it towards the Maelstrom; it was a suicidal mission, but all of the Wraith’s crew, even Niddler, would do anything to save their friend! This time, as they turned, the wind was behind their sails, but the sun was in their eyes.

The dark haired pirate was cursing with every foul word he knew; he worried for Ren. The boy was injured and weaponless! Although the prince could be cunning, there was very little that one could do against the Constrictus with just one arm. And if Ren’s brachial artery hadn’t been severed enough to bleed out, then infection could soon set in with how filthy the pit was.

 

Ren was soon dropped on the deck of the Maelstrom, Bloth standing tall before him and grinning widely. His odd, yellow eyes were gleaming with malice, and laughter was coming from the depths of his large belly. He placed a heavy foot on the prince’s injured arm.

“Well, well. This is a mighty surprise, isn’t it, boy?” He asked as he cruelly ground his foot against the blond boy’s bleeding arm, causing the younger male to writhe and scream in pain.

 

“You kreld eating dartha-eel! May Kunda have no mercy on your twisted soul!” The blue eyed male screamed at Bloth, not even trying to hide his fury and pain; the tall, blue-ish man just laughed and tore the compass from Ren’s neck. What could the prince do? This man knew no mercy at all, and insulting him was getting the boy nowhere.

 

“Indeed.” Was all that the giant of a man replied with as he removed his foot from Ren’s torn arm, and instead he kicked the younger male in the stomach repeatedly, forcing him to roll against the deck. He was slowly being pushed to the Constrictus Pit. The prince’s mind was clouded with pain, but even in his angry haze he knew what danger he truly was in!

 

“Ioz…” The prince whispered for his friend to save him as he was finally kicked into the pit with a splash;  he hazily wondered if he would finally be done in by Bloth’s disgusting pet. He had lost his father’s sword, and the compass. He had also lost a lot of blood, and the sewage water in the pit was stinging his wounds fiercely.

If he could not regain his composure quickly, he would die soon. But, instead of trying to move, the young prince finally passed from his wounds, floating silently in the wet pit; at least there was some hope, he was on his back and not drowning face first in the sludgy liquid. And, the Constrictus had not arrived yet, probably not realizing that it had a meal within its home, since so few were thrown down there these days.


	7. Rescue Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niddler, Ioz and Tula rush in to save Ren.  
> Although, they find that their companion is in less than optimal condition by the time that they reach him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera (You know, I'm starting to feel as if I'm spelling that wrong. I grew up with their cartoons, and yet I still am unsure of the spelling. Yikes!)

**Ch7**

**(Rescue Mission)**

 

 

“Ioz, don’t rush into things so readily!” Tula cried out, shielding the sun from her bright green eyes. She wanted to help Ren as much as the older pirate did, but they would be out-numbered on Bloth’s ship, and there was no way that they could sneak on at all.

 

“Quiet, wench!” Ioz replied angrily; he turned his head to stare at Niddler, glaring at the Monkey-bird.

“Monkey-bird, fly over there and at least get him high in the pit! The boy is in no condition to fight the Constrictus himself. You know as well as I how much danger he is in; we’ve both worked for Bloth, and he will let Ren perish!” He did not even have a plan, he was just barking orders now; Niddler would only be able to do so much. The scarred pirate was ready to board the Maelstrom no matter how dangerous it was to rescue his prince. 

 

 

Niddler, although normally one to complain, began to flap his wings as fast as possible to get over to the ship. With him, he carried Ren’s sword, but he knew that he would be seen the moment he arrived at the intimidating ship.

As a betrayer of Bloth, he would not be welcome at all. Then again, none of the blue pirate’s crew actually liked Bloth, they just feared him. And, in such instances, fear was more powerful than respect; they would attack Niddler and probably injure his wings if he was not fast enough to get into the pit. But even if he was, what could he do? He weighed less than Ren and could only carry the humanoid short distances. 

Swiftly, he did reach the leviathan bone ship and swooped past the pirates on board. Much of the crew were swinging their swords at him, or throwing knives and shooting arrows. With any luck, his wings would not be clipped and he would not be hit.

 

“Twist my soul! Stop that jitaten Monkey-bird!” Cried Bloth as he looked up from the Constrictus Pit; he had been watching eagerly for the creature to devour Ren, but it had not come. Now he was paying far more attention to the skirmish on board. He grabbed for Niddler as the reddish creature flew past him with a speed he had not thought possible. The feathered creature was proud as he heard the blue-ish pirate spew curses from above him as he escaped into the pit. Even he could do something useful in an emergency!

 

  
“Ren!” Squealed Niddler, seeing that the prince was passed out in the murky water. His injured arm was already a deep red from the filthy water that was infiltrating his wounds; how would the Monkey-bird even grab him? He would just injure the poor boy further, but… Maybe there was some hope. There was the Lo-ac Flower, which could cure diseases and wounds, but how would they get to it? Myragon was so far away, it was completely across the map from where they had been headed. 

“By the twenty seas. You’re going to lose that arm… If we don’t find a cure for that nasty infection soon enough.” Niddler whispered as he came closer to the water, trying to be as quiet as possible as he lifted Ren. Dread filled his heart when he heard the trap door shut above him, and he was pretty sure that the Constrictus had finally heard the commotion going on overhead; the water below the feathered creature and the prince was beginning to stir.

The red feathered creature looked around frantically and saw a hole in the side of the wall; with as much care as possible, he pulled the prince into it and hid. It must have been made during one of the times that Ren had been thrown into the pit before, and Kunda was watching over them just enough to have not allowed Bloth or his crew to notice it.

The hole led underneath the Maelstrom and into the sewers. Soon, however, as the Monkey-bird glided along slowly above the sludge with Ren in tow he found an open hatch. Niddler was apprehensive, because it could mean meeting Bloth or his crew down there; he took a chance and flew the prince up into an area that had a clear way out from the Maelstrom, the large bone gate at the end was open just a little, even!

Niddler set Ren down on the walkway as soon as they were fully through the broken hatch. He was happy to have found a way off of this ship, but there was no way that the Monkey-bird could swim with dead weight like this… He could see the opening, but he would have to take to the water; what else could he do? He placed Ren’s sword in the prince’s belt and held the boy’s shoulders as he flew slowly to the end of the walk way that he was grateful had been down there, but as he stared at the water, he grew more apprehensive.

“Here goes nothing!” Niddler set Ren down and grabbed the back of the prince’s collar in his beak; he dragged the limp body of the blond man into the water and began to swim as well as a Monkey-bird possibly could. Within a few minutes, he had made it out through the narrow opening of the ship and held Ren in his small arms, trying to keep the boy’s face above the water; they were near the maw of the Maelstrom, and the Monkey-bird hoped by the two moons of Mer that his companions would see them before Bloth’s crew did. 

Niddler flapped his wings in the water, propelling himself forward slowly and clumsily as he held the prince close. He could see the Wraith was now so close to Bloth’s ship that Tula and Ioz were probably getting ready to board. In fact, he could hear both of their cries of rage as they fought the pirates on board. “Ioz, Tula!” The Monkey-bird yelled as loudly as he could, but he was certain that his voice would not carry through the raging battle. He would continue ever forward; with luck, he would reach the Wraith and be able to pull Ren aboard, but with wet feathers it seemed like a hopeless feat!

 

Luckily, however, the Monkey-bird’s high pitched voice had been heard by both Ioz and Tula. Without hesitation, both of Niddler and Ren’s ship-mates ran to the edge of the Maelstrom, abandoning the battle that they were losing. As much as both of them hated giving up, they heard the urgency in their feathered companion’s voice. And so, they jumped into the ocean below, landing very close to their companions.

“Help me!” Niddler cried out, floundering in the water and struggling to keep Ren’s head above the water; Ioz made it to the two first, taking Ren from the Monkey-bird’s arms and urgently swimming back to the Wraith. Had they even grabbed the compass in their haste to save Ren? But, without Ren, the compass was useless! The older pirate knew that at this point they would have to settle for one or the other, and their prince was the one that was most important.

  
They all could hear Bloth yelling almost incoherently in rage on the ship above them; it turned out that Tula had been able to snatch the compass back in the confusion. But their ship was too close to the Maelstrom; they had planned poorly, and would probably have to fight the other pirates on their own ship. But Ioz did not care; the blond prince was in bad shape and he would fight every one of those jitaten kreld eaters if he had to! 

They all climbed the accommodation ladder hanging over the side of their ship, Ren hanging limply over Ioz’s shoulder now, making it a bit difficult to climb up with one useful arm; the pirate managed, he was tall and strong. As soon as they reached the top, they realized that… No one was there. Why had Bloth’s crew not boarded their ship? Was it the confusion, or was it… Dark Water? No, that had not been it either! 

It seemed that the pod of leviathans that they had helped a while back were in the area, and they were ramming the Maelstrom with ferocity; the scarred pirate supposed he would have to thank that baby leviathan just this once… It had proven useful; how had they even found the Wraith?  

 

“Tula,” Ioz spoke in his calmest voice to the ecomancer, although he was panicking internally over the state that his prince was in. “Thank those leviathan as quickly as possible; we must get out of here, and I suppose it is only thanks to them that we can.” 

 

The woman just nodded and hurried aft, and she used her ecomantic-telepathic powers to thank the creatures. Although, not too long after she had gotten a chance to say anything to them, she noticed that the Wraith was sailing away as quickly as possible. Ioz was at the helm, and a sopping wet Niddler was bent over Ren, examining his injured arm; the prince was in a bad way. His arm was swollen and still bleeding, and yellowish pus was beginning to leak from his wounds; she could not heal him well while she was still learning the ways of an ecomancer, and it would take days to get to Myragon…


	8. Desperate Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ioz, Niddler and Tula set sail for Myragon in hopes to find a Lo-ac flower for Ren before he loses his arm to infection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera  
> Uhhh... Uhhh... Yep, no other notes yet. Still a few chapters until the sexy stuff happens.

**Chapter 8**

**(Desperate Situation)**

 

Why had she not gotten a Lo-ac Flower to grow?! Tula was seething silently as she, too, bent over Ren to examine his infected arm. She wanted to touch it, and soothe it, but the infection was already so bad!

“Chonga! Those naja dogs! Bloth deserves to be swallowed by Dark Water, look at what he has done to Ren!” She cried out to no one in particular, tears welling in her bright, green eyes.

 

“Take the helm, wench.” Ioz said from behind her, coming close and taking her by the shoulders gently.

“There is only so much we can do. But we got him back, and you got the compass. As a pirate I may have more experience with injuries like this. After all, I saw that _piglet_ Konk survive a loss of his leg to that creature, and he was in that disgusting water too.” The pirate was trying to comfort her, but she did not wish to budge.

“Tula!” He said more firmly, and she turned to look at the dark haired male. “Go steer the ship. He is far more injured than he looks! I can stop the bleeding, and haven’t you grown any healing herbs?! I will go get them if you tell me where they are. All we can do is make a salve and bandage him. And…” The older male leaned down close to Ren, placing his ear against the boy’s chest to listen for a heart beat; his breathing was shallow, but his pulse was rapid. He more than likely had a fever. Would they have to amputate?

“There is water in his lungs… And his ribs are broken from what I can tell. Please let me treat him, woman. I _know_ how to deal with some of these wounds.” The scarred pirate was practically pleading with her, and she just nodded. He also had ordered Niddler to get some of the cloth that they usually patched the sails with to use as a makeshift bandage.

 

“I have… Some medicinal herbs. I will get them, we can make a salve and a broth. I don’t know how much it will do, but it is imbued with my magic.” She replied weakly, hurrying to get the herbs first, before she steered the ship away; the Maelstrom had long been rammed away from them, and Ioz had steered far enough away before he had come to see Ren. It was safe… For now.

She came back with some plants, and a mortar and pestle. “This is for the salve. As for the broth, I will go boil those… Will he… Will he _die_ , Ioz?”

 

“No.” The older man said sternly as he ground up the herbs he was given. Tula just nodded again, feeling a little helpless; at least her power to grow plants was useful, but she still felt helpless. She walked off to the cabin below deck to boil herbs for a soothing broth. She would have to use her powers, and she hoped that they could work for heating things on a slightly large scale. She had made fire before, but it was difficult, and dangerous while on board a wooden vessel.

Ioz was soon spreading the salve on Ren’s infected arm, and the prince groaned in pain; his eyes fluttered open and he stared at his male companion. Everything was hazy, but the stinging sensation made him realize that he was not dead.

 

“Noy jitat…” The blond male coughed weakly and water spewed up from his lungs; it was a good thing that the water was at least being taken care of! The older pirate continued his rubbing of the salve onto the deep wounds, and Ren hissed in pain; his chest hurt, his arm hurt. He couldn’t even speak properly, but he was coughing up a lot of water! He had almost died, and he was doing his best to avoid looking at his arm. After what felt like an eternity of stinging pain in his arm, he felt it being bandaged tightly.

“Aaaaah!” Ren gave a weak scream of pain; the stinging was worse now, and his arm was throbbing in anguish. He could not even move his fingers. He felt hot and his mind was muddled. Something was very wrong!

 

“Quiet, boy.” The scarred pirate said in a soothing voice, and touched one of his calloused hands to Ren’s forehead. It felt so cool compared to the boy’s skin, and Ren closed hs eyes as he allowed the man to treat him. “Your ribs are broken, or bruised. You should not speak. And… Your arm…” Ioz trailed off, which caused the younger male’s eyes to snap open again. What about his arm?! He began to turn his head to look, but the older man stopped him and held his head in place.

“You do not want to see it. But when your ribs and lungs hurt less, you should thank Niddler for saving you. He got you out of the Maelstrom.” Ioz was speaking so quietly, and it was scaring Ren. Was he dying?! Ioz was never this gentle; he always made Ren tough it out.

The younger male began to panic, shuddering in pain and fear; he knew the journey was dangerous, but he did not think he would be close to death! He was too naive, he had been reckless!

 

“N-Niddler… Thanks…” Ren gasped out, his blue eyes looked around wildly until he found the Monkey-bird. Niddler just nodded solemnly, and was soon quietly shooed away by Ioz. The scarred pirate wanted to be with the prince alone, just for a few minutes.

 

“Ren, by the blood moons of Mer, you are a stubborn chongo longo!” Ioz’s voice wavered as he spoke, just gently rubbing the boy’s feverish forehead. The prince felt hot tears fall onto his face, and he locked his weary eyes on the older man, watching him cry silently. The blond male gave a small smile; it was heart-warming to see the most stubborn, and the strongest person he knew crying over him. He knew how Ioz felt for him, but even this was unexpected. He didn’t think that the older man had emotions other than greed, joy and anger.

“Those treasures, and that jitaten compass are not worth dying for! You are important, you _are_ the true treasure!” The scarred pirate hissed at his prince, but Ren shook his head. He could not speak to explain himself, but he had told the man before that Mer came before his own needs. If he was to die like his father, then so be it. He would hope that his friends might be able to continue the journey without him.

 

“The compass?” Asked Ren quietly; it was tiring to muster up the words, but he had to know. He just needed to know where it was.

 

The older male sighed and looked away. “Tula took it back. She was fast. She is a good fighter.” He seemed ashamed that he had not been the one to grab it; that jiata compass was the only thing that Ren seemed to care about above all else, and it infuriated Ioz that the woman had grabbed it first!

  
The older pirate gritted his teeth a little, knowing how selfish he was to want all of the prince’s praise. He wanted to be the one to save him, and to help him. But maybe Tula was the one for the boy after all.

The blue eyed male noticed his scarred companion’s look of shame, but he just smiled serenely; did the older man not realize what he did was important, too? He probably had provided enough of a distraction for Tula to grab the compass. They all helped him that day, and far more than they realized. Maybe Niddler would be boastful about how he helped Ren, because the Monkey-bird was a very proud creature; the others would be far more solemn about everything.

“Ioz… Thank you.” Ren said after he coughed up some more water; he tried to push himself into a sitting position, but the older man adamantly held him down.

“You know… I called for you first when I was thrown in the pit.” The prince’s voice was strained, and even more so since Ioz would not let him up.

So, instead, the boy turned to his side where his good arm was and coughed out more of the water he had swallowed when Niddler had gotten him out of the pit; he was trying to avoid pneumonia at least! If he could not sit, which even in the back of his somewhat muddled mind he realized probably was a poor idea, he would do his best to not get worse than this.

 

“Ay chongo chipango, Ren! Why _me_? I was useless back there!” The older man spoke in embarrassment, but he was no longer holding the boy down; he was instead watching his prince struggle with removing the water from his lungs. He was sure that the coughing was painful, but there seemed to be no blood in the fluid that he spewed up, so neither of the boy’s lungs were punctured.

 

Ren was not looking at the older male now, but instead blushing furiously in spite of his bad condition. The pirate should know why he had called for him!

“You have made my brain feel like borca paste for the past two days, so you know why!” The prince’s voice was raspy as he spoke, but he hardly sounded angry. Ioz, however, looked taken aback. Was his flirting really getting to the boy?

 

“Scupango! I am _sorry_ , Ren. Forget everything I’ve said right now! You are in no condition to think of such things, and I will not take advantage of you like this.” The older man sounded a little panicked as he spoke with a low voice, but Ren just stared at him with his bright, blue eyes. Ioz could tell by the glossiness in those beautiful, blue pools that the boy’s fever was getting worse.

  
Ioz ran his calloused hand over the boy’s face again in an attempt to soothe him. “We must bring your jitaten fever down…” His rough, exotic voice was so quiet as he spoke; Ioz stood to go grab more of the cloth that they used to patch the sails. He did not ask Tula for permission at all as he dipped it in a bucket of fresh water she had obtained from Pandawa (after all, she was below deck so she would not see, and she would probably understand.) As quickly as he had walked off to get the cloth, he came back to Ren’s side and placed the moist rag on his forehead.

Ioz was trying hard to keep the fever from addling the boy’s brain too much. Yes, it was important for his body to try and rid itself of infection, but he also did not want Ren’s brain to really turn into borca paste!

The prince just shivered lightly, but his eyes closed as the cool cloth subdued his raging fever. His arm still ached, but less-so; the stinging from the salve was almost gone, and the wounds seemed to feel cool. In fact, the feeling of the makeshift bandage around his arm was almost comforting. His arm no longer throbbed, and both he and Ioz hoped that the plant-based ointment was doing its work properly.

“All right, Ren. This will not feel good, but we must get you out of the open and onto a cot…” The taller male was leaning down and gently easing his hands under the prince. Once he had gotten a good hold of the boy, he lifted Ren like a groom would carry a bride, and he brought the boy downstairs with slow, deliberate steps. The blond male was just shaking in pain, and Ioz felt horrible to have to have one hand under the prince’s injured ribs.

 

Ren made no sounds, as he did not want his scarred companion to feel even worse, but his body could not help its pained shudders. Finally, after what felt like far too long, he was set on a cot in their sleeping area; it was uncomfortable, but at least it was not hard and solid like the deck. His injured arm was placed close to his body, but his other arm was allowed to hang off of the cot to allow him more room to lay.

 

“Tula, how is the medicine coming along?” Ioz asked, turning to the woman who was fervently stirring herbs and water inside of a rather small cauldron.

 

“Fine, _Ioz_. It is nearly done. It won’t taste too good, but it should ease his pain and help him sleep.” Tula spoke rather impatiently; she was trying to make a perfect mixture, but she was no apothecary or healer. Her basic knowledge would help some, but she was still apprehensive about its effectiveness.

After another minute or so, she took a ladle and poured the broth into a clay bowl; Ioz reached for the bowl, but she ignored him and went to Ren herself, putting one hand under his head to lift it gently. The green eyed woman pressed the bowl to his lips, and he made a noise of repulsion; the concoction smelled awful! Well, it smelled like medicine really.

“Come on, Ren. It will help your infection leave your body. Please drink.” Her voice was gentle, and her soothing voice brought the prince to open his mouth just slightly. She poured the broth in slowly, and the young man made noises of pure disgust, but he still swallowed it until every drop was gone from the bowl. If it was to heal him, then fine, he would tolerate it.

 

“I am going to start for Myragon.” Ioz spoke up as Tula set Ren’s head down again to let him rest. The prince was already beginning to fall asleep; quietly, the woman made a noise of concurrence. The Lo-ac Flower was their best bet; she just hoped that the wind would be with them and that it would not be so difficult to obtain the flower this time around.


	9. Surmounting Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ioz and Tula seek the Lo-ac Flower on Myragon for Ren's infected arm and run into an old acquaintance along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera
> 
> Still just romantic tension and stuff. Heh, at least the sexy stuff I did write for this fic doesn't make me blush as much as the others....

**(Chapter 9)  
**

**(Surmounting Despair)**

 

The crew of the Wraith had already been sailing for three days now; they had passed both the Monkey-bird Island and Janda town. Ren had hardly been conscious the whole time. He cried out when his wounds were cleaned and re-bandaged, and he quietly resigned himself to drinking the medicine that he was given. But the blond male primarily stayed asleep in his feverish state.

The other three took turns steering the ship and watching for Bloth or other threats against them; two were always on deck at one time, one of which was usually Niddler, since he was not quite as good at keeping up with helping the prince of Octopon. Whoever was not on deck was watching the boy, giving him medicine, placing cool rags on his forehead, and tending to his wounds.

Although, Ioz took it upon himself to keep the boy clean elsewhere; he was sure the woman was familiar with the bodies of men, but he was also certain that Ren’s feelings would be beyond embarrassment if she was the one who stripped him and bathed him (in, unfortunately, fairly cool water since heating was hard to do on the ship.)

 

  
They were all weary from hardly sleeping. Every time Ren made even the smallest of noises, they would be there to tend to him. He always made pained noises in his sleep, and would mutter incoherent words to no one in particular.

His arm was hardly getting better, although the wounds did not seem to become gangrenous on their journey; in fact, they took to cleaning the salve off with salt water before bathing him. It was extra painful to the boy, but it kept his wounds clean. The only problem was, the wounds were barely healing, and they stayed that angry red while leaking blood and pus periodically. Whatever was in the Constricus Pit must have been an anti-coagulant, because each time they replaced the bandage, the gashes would split open again.

Nearing the end of the third day, Tula was the one steering the ship, and Ioz was taking care to clean his prince again; he handled the boy gently and would even clean his clothing if it seemed to have gotten dirty with sweat and other fluids. He was pleased to see that the bruising on Ren’s abdomen was disappearing, and his ribs were less tender (or so the scarred man figured, since the blond boy no longer flinched in pain when they were touched.)

The tall pirate jumped in surprise when he heard Tula’s voice filled with excitement. “It’s Myragon. I see it! Ioz, I see it!” The woman yelled from on deck; Ioz had nearly dropped Ren as he laid him back on the cot and covered his naked, but dry, body with a blanket. Her steps were rapid and loud as she sprinted down the stairs.

“Come on _Ioz_! We’re nearly at the shore, and we must hurry!” She spoke rapidly; Tula had already set anchor and was going to use their detachable sail as a glider, but she would need Ioz’s help to fight off any dangerous creatures, which she was sure there were some.

 

“All right, all right. Chongo longo, wench! I’ve just finished cleaning Ren. _At least_ let me settle him properly!” The scarred man spoke impatiently as he turned to look at her, but a very small smile graced his face. The Lo-ac Flower would be in their grasp now. Well, hopefully. 

  
“Stay strong, Ren…” Whispered Ioz to the boy as he placed a damp, cool cloth on Ren’s forehead again. He hoped the ship would be safe for the time being. The blond prince stirred for the first time in days, and his blue eyes opened just slightly to stare at the scarred pirate. He just gave a small nod, not even speaking; he had heard Ioz, and the older man was both shocked and ecstatic! It was a good sign, then! Ioz nodded back a little and stood completely to follow Tula.

 

* * *

 

Niddler stayed behind to keep an eye out both for Bloth, and in case Ren got worse. Tula and Ioz used the glider to land on the beach of Myragon; surprisingly, they were greeted by a small, furry, and utterly sarcastic sounding creature.

 

“Hey, I never thought you barnacle-brains would come visit again! And what are you here for? Did that feather-brained Monkey-bird get one of his wings eaten off? I mean, it was bound to happen eventually.” Roulette, a toddler-sized fairy-like creature with the face of something akin to a ferret was flapping his feathered wings and staring at the duo who had landed on the island. They remembered him well, and even if Ren had brought out the best in him, they still did not particularly like him.

 

“Noy jitat, not _you_.” Ioz spoke condescendingly, eyeing the creature with distaste. The woman, however, gave the pirate a rough smack to the head; she didn’t much like Roulette either, but more than likely he knew what they were there for and where to find it.

 

“Ignore _him_ , Roulette.” Tula said in her kindest voice, as if apologizing for her ship-mate’s rough attitude. “It’s not for Niddler, surprisingly. It’s for… Ren.” She spoke with a strained voice as she had a hard time admitting that the prince was in such bad shape.

 

“Ren? That kid?! But he’s pretty tough, and he’s braver than the both of ya rudderless bilge rats.” The little creature said tauntingly, giving a wide grin and flying in a small spiral until he was close to the female’s face; he was looking into her eyes for confirmation. The deep green pools of her eyes did not lie.

“Yeesh, you ain’t kiddin’, are ya? Well you should have said so from the get go! He’s the best one out of your lot, so it would be a shame to see him hurt.” Although his words were rough, they were also genuine; Roulette liked Ren the best, but the rest of them weren’t too bad. Although, just as they had taken time to warm up to him, it was taking him some time to do the same. Neither of them had treated him with respect until he got the treasure for them, but Ren realized his despair first, and treated him as a peer.

 

Tula kept her temper, and her green eyes flickered to Ioz for a moment. She was silently warning him not to say a thing; if they insulted the little creature, then he might not get a Lo-ac Flower for them, even if it was for Ren.

“He’s not _just_ hurt, Roulette… He’s very ill, and he has wounds that will not close. Even Slaggon would have a hard time looking at him with the shape he’s in!” Her voice was filled with desperation as she spoke, and the little creature shuddered at the very mention of Slaggon, the Bio-Transmuter. He hated that naja dog, and who wouldn’t? That horrid man had experimented on so many animals on Myragon that when Roulette had healed them all, they had chased him far away from the island (he was sure that the horrid man was in the bad hands of Bloth’s crew now.)

 

“Okay, I get it!” The fuzzy creature spoke impatiently. “I know where to find a Lo-ac, but in return you have to do something for me, especially since Ren isn’t the one asking.” He waggled one of his tiny fingers at the woman, the webbing between the digits moving a little with it.

 

“What do you want, _then_?” She gritted her teeth and spoke through them; even Tula’s patience was wearing thin, and she was an ecomancer. She was supposed to have a connection with animals, but this little _thing_ was rude and frustrating.

 

“Hmm… Hmmmmmm… I don’t know. How about some candy-clams, eh? I love those things, and I bet you have some on your ship, don'cha?” He spoke as he eyed the ship in the distance, but his voice was grating on both Tula and Ioz’s nerves. It was obvious that Roulette was acting this way on purpose; at a time like this, it was an incredibly unnecessary move!

 

“Ah? Yes, yes! We do have some on our ship, however you will have to come aboard… Please. And with the Lo-ac Flower, if at all possible; Ren is alone with Niddler, and the Monkey-bird is not that great at caring for him.” Tula spoke very convincingly, however both statements were true; they did have some candy-clams, and Niddler was not the best care-taker in the world. Besides the fact that the situation was too dire for all this stalling that Roulette was doing.

He may have had time to joke, but they did not! Ren’s infection was not going away; of course, it had not gotten worse thanks to what they had been able to do for him, but if they waited too long or made one wrong move the infection could move up into his heart and kill him within a matter of days, or even hours!

 

“Yeesh!” The fuzzy creature exclaimed again and rolled his eyes a little; he could see the urgency in her eyes, couldn’t these people take a little joke? “I’ll do it. Just let me get a Lo-ac, okay? There’s one nearby, so just hold your dagrons for a few!” He spoke as he began to fly off to get the panacea flower.

It felt like an eternity, but in reality it had only been about ten minutes when Roulette came flapping back with said flower in hand. “All right, let’s go! The wind is going towards your ship, so you shouldn’t have any trouble using that… Thing.” He snickered a bit; humans using a glider was a little funny to an animal that could fly.

He began to fly towards the ship, carrying the flower rather carefully for such a playful creature; Roulette called over his shoulder at the other two who were readying their glider again, “Last one on board is a dartha eel swimming in borca paste!” And, with that, he flew even faster; Roulette wanted a chance to gloat about being the first on board, after all.

 

“Jitaten nuisance…” Muttered Ioz as he grabbed the handle of the trapezium of their glider. It was true that the wind was now at their back, so they pulled the glider back just slightly and made for a running jump into the air. Both the scarred pirate and the green eyed woman were pulled into the air with ease as they jumped up, and the wind pushed them rapidly towards their ship. However, they were not very high up at all, and their feet were barely above the water. More than likely, they would have to climb up the side of the ship once they reached it.

Luck would have it that the glider had been high enough to reach the middle of the accommodation ladder, and Tula grabbed on first; Ioz, however, was knocked rather ungracefully into the water.

“Watch what you’re doing, _wench_!” The now soaked pirate cried out as he surfaced from the ocean, swimming the few feet to the bottom of the ladder; Tula just giggled as she hoisted the glider onto the Wraith first, and then jumped up herself. It had not been intentional, but she still found it fairly funny. Once the older male had climbed up as well, he wrung the salty water from his hair and glared at her darkly.

 

“Well, you could use a bath anyhow, _Ioz_.” She just said casually before turning to a widely grinning Roulette.

 

“Hey, what took you guys so long? Although, I do agree, getting that one a bath was of utmost importance; I could smell his stench from before you guys even reached the island!” The little creature cackled, although he stopped once he saw that the scarred pirate was giving him a very irate look.

 

Ioz was removing his vest and boots to let them dry; the day was warm and the sun was strong, so with any hope it would not take too long. But he was pissed off, to say the least, that he was being teased so rudely! He had been working just as hard to keep their prince alive, and it was not as if he hadn’t been bathing. It was hard not to get into the tub with the injured prince; it was the most practical way to clean him, so Ioz was fairly clean himself.

 

“Ren’s this way.” He said finally, just sneering at both Tula and the fairy-like animal as he made his way from the deck downstairs. He was muttering insults under his breath as he did so, but he stopped once he had gone below deck and spotted Ren, who was sitting on the cot he had been placed in.

The prince’s eyes were heavily lidded, and his forehead was beaded with sweat from his fever. He had the blanket that had been placed over him pooled around his waist; his bare chest was visible, and he had his hands folded neatly on his lap. Ioz was aghast at the fact that Ren was awake! Why was the boy sitting?

 

“Ioz!” Came Niddler’s panicked voice, and the red feathered creature waddled over to the tall pirate, looking distraught. “He wouldn’t lay back down since you left! I think he’s been hallucinating, but he hasn’t said anything to me at all! I think something is wrong, he won’t even let me put a cool cloth on his forehead!” His voice was whiny and wavering as he spoke; Niddler was clearly frightened, and Ioz, too, found it a little strange.

 

“Do not worry, Monkey-bird. We have the Lo-ac Flower.” Ioz spoke calmly, but inwardly he felt cold and worried; what was wrong with Ren? The boy looked very serene, but also completely blank. The only indications that he was still alive were the fact that his chest was still rising and falling as he breathed, and his eyes would blink slowly. 

 

  
“Tula! _Roulette!_ By the twenty seas of Mer, get down here! Ren needs the flower _now_!” The dark haired male called up the stairs, and he could hear the woman’s boots on the wood as she hurried down, being followed by the toddler-sized flying creature. Ioz, however, had made his way to Ren’s bed already, placing a hand on the boy’s forehead, and then moving his hand to feel the boy’s pulse. He was definitely alive, but completely unresponsive to the touches.

 

“What’s wrong with him?!” Asked the ecomancer in a panicky voice, but Ioz did not answer her. How in Kunda’s name would he know?! Maybe the boy was having a fever dream! 

 

“Bring the flower here.” The pirate said, ignoring the question all together and unwrapping Ren’s bandages with care. Once the cloth was stripped from the young man’s arm, the red and infected skin was exposed; it was turning a somewhat angry purple color, and the gashes had split open again, oozing blood and pus. It smelled of death, and yet no rot could be seen. When Roulette had come close enough, Ioz grabbed the Lo-ac Flower from him and began to carefully tear the petals off, placing them along with the nectar of the flower onto the wounds. He also forced Ren’s mouth open with one hand, squeezing the last of the nectar into it.

Ren made an awkward noise and swallowed abruptly; it did not taste particularly good, but his eyes opened wider and he seemed to come out of his daze. Not only that, but the gashes on his arm were beginning to heal, and the smell of rot had disappeared completely. The only proof that he had been injured now was the crust of blood and pus left where the gashes had been, but there was not even a scar left on his toned arm!

 

The blond male began to cough, gagging at the taste of the flower’s nectar. It wasn’t bad, but it was very earthy and sweet, which was a very odd mixture. “Ioz, what on Mer..?” The prince asked, and then blushed furiously as he realized that it was not only the older man down there with him; Tula, Roulette and Niddler were watching him in fascination, and he just grabbed the blanket that was around his waist to pull it up to his chest and cover himself more thoroughly.

“I… You…” He seemed at a loss for words. The past few days had been a feverish blur for him; he could only remember feeling hot, and sometimes being submerged in cool water, or how his arm stung when touched. The last thing he really remembered was being brought to the ship and bandaged, he had barely been conscious for the rest of the time. His bright, blue eyes were shifting from one person to another, and he felt very self-conscious at being naked under his blanket.

“Noy jitat…” Mumbled the prince, but he allowed his friends an awkward smile. “I have no idea what is going on, but… Thank you?” He spoke to all of them, but his words had come out as a question rather than a statement.

 

“Oh _Ren_ , you’re okay!” Tula was nearly in tears as she ran to the prince’s side, pushing Ioz out of the way; the older male grumbled something and stumbled back a bit, taking a seat on another one of the cots in their sleeping area.

“We didn’t know if you were going to make it. You were so ill, and your wounds wouldn’t close! But they’re healed, and you’re awake!” She was hugging Ren tightly around the shoulders, and he was blushing even harder, only daring to lift one hand away from his blanket to wrap an arm around her waist, hugging back gently.

 

“How long has it been? Where are we?” The prince asked when the female finally let him go.

 

“You’re just outside of Myragon, and I want my candy-clams!” Came a rough, taunting voice; of course, it was Roulette. “I was promised them. This is all very nice, and I am happy to see the only important one out of you barnacle-brained dartha eels is okay, but I’m getting hungry!” Of course, he really was happy; the fairy-like creature liked Ren a lot. But they also did promise him candy-clams, and he had gotten them a Lo-ac Flower pretty quickly.

 

“Take as many as you want, _then_.” Ioz said impatiently, his dark gaze finally moving away from Ren to look at the sarcastic little creature; he pointed a finger over to one of the crates of food that they had below deck. In an instant, Roulette was upon the crate, pushing the top off and grabbing an armful of the candy-clams.

 

“Now that’s what I call a thank you!” He said happily, flying in a short circle and laughing. “And, uh, thank you guys. I am going to take my leave now, after all I don’t want to be stuck on this ship with you. Not that it wasn’t a blast and all.” Roulette laughed again as he spoke, cradling the food in his little arms and giving a small nod to the crew of the Wraith before flying up to the deck, and presumably back to his island home.

 

“Now that he’s gone,” Began Ioz, standing up again and giving Tula a nudge. “I think we should let Ren get dressed and ready to sail again. I will fill him in, so how about you two go on deck and get the sails ready. We need to get to an actual port and get some rest, three days and no treasures… Other than Ren’s health, of course, is not a good record for us.” The pirate spoke sternly, and the woman gave him a slightly dark look, but she headed up anyhow to pull up the anchor and set sail; Niddler did not argue and just followed to help.

 

“ _Three_ days?!” Ren practically yelled, looking at Ioz with surprise. He seemed very upset, after all they had been so close to a Treasure of Rule! What if the current had pushed it further away, or something had gotten to it?! By Kunda, that was a failure! “Chongo Longo…” Ren lifted his hands up and buried his face in them momentarily.

 

The scarred pirate just patted Ren on the back and gave a relieved sigh. “You really are a jitata boy. On the brink of death for three days and all you can think of is those Treasures again! We have the compass, and now we have you. We can search again, but all of us need real rest. I think Tula, Niddler and I have only had a good five hours of rest between the three of us. And you had us worried!” He gave the prince a wide smile when Ren peeked out from between his fingers, looking a little ashamed.

 

“I’m sorry Ioz. I’m sorry to have worried all of you so much…” Ren turned his face away from his male companion, looking off to a dark corner. The older male was just gathering Ren’s recently washed, although dry, clothes. He dropped them onto the boy’s lap and shrugged a little.

 

“You are very important to us. Do not be sorry, just be our navigator and leader again. After all, the prince of Octopon cannot rule when he acts as if his life was not important! We are just happy to have you back; we were going at break-neck speed to get you a Lo-ac flower, and we did have to deal with Roulette… But, on the other hand, you are alive and awake.” The pirate seemed to both be grateful, and he wanted to tease Ren; he was actually watching the boy, waiting for him to dress. But he knew that the prince would not dress in front of him, despite the fact that Ioz had been the one to bathe him.

“Hold on a moment. Your arm is filthy.” The scarred male at that moment seemed to notice the dried blood and pus on Ren’s arm. He made his way over to the tub and grabbed a moist rag from it; he was quickly by the prince’s side, scrubbing away the disgusting gunk left over from the wounds. Now that was better!

 

“Thank you.” Ren spoke stiffly; he was actually feeling more self-conscious at the moment, even though the blankets still covered him. He was realizing with embarrassment that Ioz must have been the one to keep his body clean, otherwise he would have been smelling rather awful at that moment! But that was even more distressing!

 

A beautiful blush had darkened his cheeks to a point where even Ioz could see it in the dim lighting; the older male chuckled and put his hand gently under the prince’s chin, tilting Ren’s head so that they were both looking at each other.  


“Do not be so ashamed. You are beautiful, even when ill. I took advantage of nothing, and I can promise you that… I would never do that to you. But, yes, if you are thinking what I believe you to be, I did bathe you. I kept your clothes clean, and as much as I despise bathing myself, I had to so that I was careful with your injuries.” Ioz had not so much as a hint of shame in his voice, but Ren seemed to try and stammer out something. They had been naked together! They had bathed together!

 

“How can you be so calm about that, Ioz?!” Ren whispered to the older man in an almost angry tone. The pirate just shrugged a little, still keeping the boy’s chin cupped in his hand.

 

“I believe you would have done the same for me. That is all. What else do you wish for me to say? I have no desire to have sex with a boy who would not even know what was happening. There was nothing sexual about it.” As he spoke, Ioz leaned in to kiss Ren on the lips; the prince did not pull away, instead he accepted the kiss and gave a rather apprehensive one back. The pirate placed his other hand on the blond male’s chest, wriggling it beneath the blanket so that he could touch Ren’s smooth skin. He hated how thin the boy had gotten in just three days, but that body still felt so wonderful to touch; as his hand began to wander further down, Ren pulled away and gave a small cry as he fell off of the cot.

 

“Ioz, you naja dog!” The blue eyed prince growled out as he pushed himself up weakly; the blanket had fallen off of him and his clothing was scattered on the floor. Now he had no other choice than to dress in front of the pirate, seeing as he was already completely exposed.

“You do not have my permission for that, yet.” Ren was stern; as grateful as he had been to his older companion, he also still had not had time to ready himself for those advances again. His thinking was still slow, and his body was weak from sleeping so much and having a diet of only healing herbs soaked in fluids. He stood completely, turning his back to the pirate and gathering up his clothes. The prince dressed himself quickly and looked over his shoulder to give Ioz a cold stare.

 

Ioz had a look of perplexed rage on his face, but he just nodded. “As you wish.” Was all the other man said before heading up the stairs; he would take the helm from Tula now, and they would find a nice port to stay at. Admittedly, it would probably be Janda town, since it was the closest friendly port he could think of. It would take about a day to get there, but the wind was still in their sails, and the woman had already set off in that direction, probably feeling the same as he did about a place to sleep.


	10. Fanning the Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren, angry at himself for having been a burden, sails on through the night to Janda Town.  
> He and Ioz nearly take their playful temptations to the next level.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera
> 
> I had just wanted a little humor and sexual tension in this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I wanted to try and add to Ren and Ioz's dynamic.   
> The pairing is so rare that I hope to make it feel genuine.

**Chapter 10**

**(Fanning the Flame)**

 

After the prince had woken from his sickly state he had done nothing but help around the ship; Ren felt useless due to having lain in a bed for the most of three days! As the sun set and night fell, he continued to sail the ship and allowed his mates to rest.

He rather wanted to search for the treasure instead of resting at all! Of course the blond male knew that his companions needed a real night in a real bed, but he felt perfectly useless. A future leader of a kingdom did not let a little injury get the best of him, a future leader should not have worried over relationship matters when there was a planet that needed saving! 

Ren was frustrated, and he felt weak; instead of taking a break from steering the ship, he pushed himself to his limit. The prince sailed on through the night and blinked away any tiredness that caused his eyes to droop. When the next day rolled around and he was nearly slumped over the wheel of the ship, Ioz tried to take the helm.

“No!” Yelled Ren at his older male ship-mate, shaking his head. He was not thinking straight, but he needed to do _something_ to be helpful for those who had cared for him. 

“You rest, Ioz. We’re nearly at Janda town now…” The prince spoke in a gentler tone. He had noticed the look of hurt in the pirate’s eyes when he had yelled. He had not meant to be so harsh, but his weary mind he blamed Ioz for his mistakes, and for getting him into that mess in the first place. If the older man had not flirted with him his mind might have been a little more clear, or so he thought.

 

“But if you don’t rest, then we may just _crash_ into the harbor instead of anchoring there!” Ioz insisted, grabbing the prince’s shoulders more roughly than he would have days prior.

“Do not be stubborn, Ren. We care about you, and if you get sick all over again… Scupango! It would be all for naught!” The pirate growled lowly as he spoke to the boy, and Ren looked a little apprehensive. After a moment of thinking, he relinquished the helm to Ioz; however, instead of going below deck to rest, he decided to keep an eye out for other pirates, or even the Maelstrom.

 

The young man had no desire to be taken again just for his compass, and for the fact that Bloth hated his impertinence he was a little scared to be carried off again. Even though Ioz wanted him to rest, getting taken again or the Wraith being boarded by pirates would also make everything all for naught!

Ren began to space out as he stared at the vast blue ocean of Mer. The world itself was far bigger than he had first realized, and although they had traveled much, there was still so much left to explore. It was a terrifying thought; their world was tumultuous and beautiful, and it was full of the most unexpected hardships. The prince realized in his deep thoughts that he was a little scared of what was going to happen.

He was actually afraid of losing both Ioz and Tula, and he was afraid of hurting the people of his kingdom. However, after being so lost in thought, he was shaken from his reverie when he heard Ioz’s exotic and rough voice call out.

 

“Janda Town, ho!” The pirate spoke excitedly, and the blond male looked up; yes, it was definitely the town of gaming and debauchery that his friends seemed to love so much! 

 

“I’ll bring in the sails, and you set anchor!” Ren jumped up as he spoke. He trimmed the sails so that their movement into the harbor was slow and steady; as soon as they had docked securely and tied their ship to one of the posts of the previously empty dock they had chosen, the prince was ready to get off of the Wraith. Of course, he was still apprehensive, because they were in port and although he inwardly blamed Ioz, he wondered quietly if he was going to have to keep his promise today.

Of course, the pirate had been kind enough to care for him, and Ren at least wanted to pay back the favor. His body was weak, so he would try to talk Ioz down from being too forceful with him; he, after all, realized that he _did_ want this at least one time. 

His blame for Ioz was shallow, since he also blamed himself for being a stupid teenage boy! The pirate may have made his brain feel strange, and his heart even stranger, but he trusted the man with his life… And with his virginity, as it were. His exotic friend would not harm him, and he knew it.

 

“Let me wake up Tula and Niddler. They can do the first watch for people like Konk, or Joat while you and I get a room at an inn, all right?” Ren spoke a little brusquely to his older male companion, but he did offer an apprehensive smile after he realized how rude he had been being to the scarred man that morning. Ioz just returned the smile, though his was far less apprehensive.

Ren made his way down into the cabin below deck; his eyes had to adjust to the darkness, but after a minute he could see both Tula and Niddler fast asleep still!  
He wandered over to the ecomancer first and gently shook her awake. “Tula, come on, wake up!” The prince tried to sound cheerful, and when the woman’s green eyes glinted at him tiredly, he just gave her a big grin.

 

“Chongo longo…  Ren, what is it?” There was no malice in her words as she spoke, but she did seem a little agitated for being woken. She stretched her arms upward as she sat up in the cot.

“All right, I’m awake. What do you want?” The dark haired woman asked curiously as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She still looked fairly tired, but not as bad as when he had sent her off to go sleep the night before. He loved that the mischievous glint was back in her eyes, and the dark bags underneath them were nearly gone now!

 

“Well, Ioz and I are going to rent a room at an inn. We are in Janda town, after all. He has been up with me quite early, so would you and Niddler be opposed to watching the Wraith while he and I rest? ” The prince asked in his gentlest voice, and the woman only stared at him with mild confusion.

“You and Niddler can get the room for the rest of the day when we come back, of course.” Ren added, trying not to offend the ecomancer.

 

After a drawn-out minute, she responded. “Of course, Ren. We would be happy to.” She sounded a little far from happy, but she put on a smile anyhow; deep down, however, he could see the glint of envy in the beautiful emerald pools of her eyes. It made his heart stop for a second and all he could do was nod as a thank you to her. 

  
The prince felt more somber than ever as he headed back onto the deck. Why did his feelings have to be tearing him apart inside? It was as if his heart was almost as ravaged as their world was! He wondered if Tula suspected something, and she did have every right to suspect.

“Well, Ioz,” The prince began to speak once he was fully on deck. The older male looked at him with his dark eyes, although they had a warmth behind their gaze. “Tula said it was fine, so let us venture onto land for a while. A real bed does sound very nice!” He spoke as jovially as he possibly could, even if his heart felt heavy and low in his chest.

Once Tula and the Monkey-bird had emerged from the cabin below, Ioz and Ren set off for the somewhat unsavory town. Where would they be staying, anyhow? The blond male figured that his scarred companion had some place in mind, since he was so familiar with the town; more than likely, though, the inn would be one of the few close to Zoolie’s. Not that there was any problem with that! He just hoped that Ioz would not drag him into a gaming house while he was so tired still.

 

The older male just wrapped a dark, muscular arm around Ren’s shoulders to lead him into the town; once they reached a fairly nice inn (or as nice as a pirate town could provide) Ioz stopped and smiled down at the blond. Ren, however, looked a little uncomfortable about their close proximity in public.

“Here we are. It’s probably the best inn in all of Janda Town!” Ioz said enthusiastically; but _of course_ it was the best to the older man! They were two buildings away from Zoolie’s Game House! Ren just rolled his eyes a little, but he would take his pirate companion’s word for it.

The dark haired male went in first, allowing the prince to take his time; once the blond male had entered he immediately noticed that Ioz was bargaining for a room. “ Ay jitata! I will give you 20 gold for a room. Two beds, a private tub and enough heated water for three baths in it. This is my final offer, inn-keeper!” Ioz growled a little, his hand instinctively going towards his sword; he had to haggle with this man, it was a matter of principle!

 

The inn-keeper looked a little alarmed, but he nodded in agreement. “A-all right, 20 gold. You will have three heat-able baths and the largest beds we have and room to spare!” He gave a nod as he tried to will away the wavering in his voice; he handed a key to Ioz and instructed the pirate where the room was. Ren figured that the guy was new to the island, since he didn’t seem to have a stomach for dealing with pirates.

 

With a mischievous grin, the scarred male turned to Ren and laughed. “Well, hope you don’t mind sharing one bed, my friend. The other one is for Tula.”  
The prince blushed rather deeply, but he shook his head almost too energetically; he did not mind, but he still had no idea what was in store for him once they got to their room! 

As they walked up the rickety stairs of the inn to the rooms above, the blond male slouched a little and hung his head; he looked surly and disdainful, which made him appear to be the slightly rebellious teenager that he was, instead of royalty. 

  
  
Ioz looked back at his male ship-mate, who was falling behind somewhat rapidly. He opened his mouth to say something, and then thought better of it; Ren had been in a rather foul mood all day, and the older male did not particularly know how to deal with it. He had been a teenager once, but that was years ago and it seemed so long now.

Of course he had not changed much, seeing as he was a pirate who hunted treasure and brawled against others for money. Well, that and he hardly knew how to deal with those younger than he was, he had proven to be quite a bad mentor when it came to his sister; Ioz regretted that a little, but maybe he could make up for it by actually doing some good in the world, which boiled down to saving Mer at least.

  
When Ioz stopped in front of their room’s door, he felt the prince bump into him as if Ren had not been paying attention at all. “Chongo longo, Ren! Watch where you are going, or you may run into someone who would not be as happy to see you.” The pirate spoke sternly to his younger companion, turning his head to give the prince a look. Ren, on the other hand, seemed to turn his gaze elsewhere as if he was embarrassed.

  
The dark haired man just smiled a little; he knew that his prince was nervous, but to see him look so embarrassed was rather cute. Once the pirate unlocked the door and opened it, he ushered the blond male in first and followed soon after.

The room itself was very nice, and Ren was mildly surprised at that fact; he was even more surprised that it looked like a place where wealthy patrons would stay rather than some pirates.

 

“By the twin moons of Mer, Ioz! How were you able to bargain such a low price for such a room?” Ren asked incredulously, his already large, blue eyes opened wider in wonder at the rather lovely sleeping accommodations. The prince had never really stayed at an inn before, even during their travels, so he was unsure of if they all were like this, but he assumed not. 

 

“Most people get the hint after you go for your sword.” Ioz replied smoothly and gave a hearty laugh when he saw the young man’s look of disdain.

“You may be naive, Ren, but a pirate holds more sway than you think. Whether or not you approve, I _am_ a pirate.” The older male was grinning a little wickedly at the boy’s dark look; he was actually amused that the blond male was so upset about his unsavory tendencies. 

Even a prince would not be able to stop the existence of pirates, and Ioz knew that he would not give up his own ways just because he was on a mission to save Mer from the Dark Water. At least he did not do worse things than hunt for treasure or brawl (and sometimes steal, of course.)

The blue eyed male was a little disgruntled that his companion had practically stolen the room, but he could not complain. The beds looked soft, and he could spot a small room off to the side of the main area with a tub in it. A bath, and a warm one at that, was a comforting thought.

 

“Fine, _Ioz_. I suppose that I can let it slide, for now. I am going to bathe and then sleep.” Ren spoke coldly, and the pirate raised his eyebrows in slight shock; the boy was being rather harsh with him, and Ioz did not particularly know why.

 

“Fine by me, _jitata_ boy.” The older male said softly; the insult had adoration within it, and he was only calling Ren that because the younger male was being a bit of a brat. 

“There is a hand pump above the tub. Just open the chute in the wall and ask me for help if you need it. The inn-keeper did agree to give us enough heated water for only three baths, so try not to go through too much.” The pirate explained the mechanism, and Ren just nodded as he went into the small room with the tub; Ioz watched as the prince followed the instructions, and the older male inwardly wished that the boy would ask him to join. It was not that he cared much for bathing, but he had cared for his prince when he was injured, and he longed to get that close again.

 

Ren looked up and was about to close the door when he noticed the brunette’s longing gaze. With an exaggerated sigh, he spoke to the older man, “Ay chongo… Ioz, do you want to come in here with me? If we are to share a bed, then I’d rather we both be clean…” The prince’s voice had an intonation of uneasiness within its words once more, but Ioz gave an eager nod and made his way to the smaller room. The blond male was feeling self conscious as he began to strip, but he knew that Ioz had seen it all before.

  
Once the prince was completely unclothed, he stepped into the nice sized tub and sank down with a content sigh; the water was perfect and hot, which was something he had not felt in a while. He did, however, avert his eyes when the older male climbed in as well. He even brought his knees to his chest and continued to stare away from Ioz until they were both settled in the metal tub.

 

“Nat-chut, it’s hot!” Ioz hissed while he slowly submerged himself in the tub. His comment caused Ren to chuckle quietly; the prince knew that Ioz hated baths, so it was a little funny to see his reaction as he willingly took one.

“Hn. Don’t you laugh at me, _your highness_. Not all of us grew up with hot baths and enough food to eat!” The older man said, his exotic voice ringing with an envy that the blond had never heard before. The tone caused the prince to train his blue eyes on Ioz, and a very deep blush crept into his cheeks when he realized that the scarred man was not fully submerged in the water yet.

 

“Ioz! Noy jitat, just sit down already!” The young man closed his bright, blue eyes and willed his blush to go down; he had seen more than enough to probably know what he was getting into! The older man had quite a muscular body, and although no hair was on his chest, there was an attractive trail of dark hair that went from his belly button down to his nether region. Ren had tried not to let his eyes stray further in his short glance, but it had been difficult. He could have sworn that he saw the glint of a metal piercing down there, but he tried not to think on it too much.

  
His blush did not go away or lessen as the older male seated himself fully. Instead, it seemed to get worse when he felt the pirate’s legs stretch out around him; why could Ioz not understand how he was making the boy feel?! Ren’s heart was thudding in his chest as he dared to look at his male companion again, and the predatory look that Ioz was giving him almost stopped his heart.

“A-aren’t you uncomfortable like that?” The prince dared to ask as he watched the scarred man lean back in the tub, and he could feel those muscular and slightly hairy legs stretch further around him after his companion settled fully. 

The pirate just shook his head and began to remove the ties from his long, dark hair; once both ponytails were down, Ren was almost shocked to see how nice the pirate’s very long hair looked as it framed his face and touched the water easily. He was… Beautiful, in his own way. Not in a conventional way, but still strangely attractive.

 

“Ren, your mouth is open.” Ioz said casually as he ran his wet fingers through his own hair to rid it of any tangles; Ren closed his mouth with an audible click and looked rather ashamed to have been so surprised. He slowly followed suit and untied his own hair, letting it cascade over his shoulders and touch the water as well. 

The pirate moved one of his hands to a small indent on the side of the tub and grabbed a little leather sachet that had been placed there; inside was a pressed bar of animal fat that was scented with flower petals, in essence, soap. He tossed it to the prince, who threw his hands up in surprise and caught it before it smacked into his face. The young man’s movement, however, caused the water to splash up and hit his companion.

“Ay chonga!” The brunette coughed out a little and wiped some of the water away from his face. He blinked away the liquid and gave Ren a bit of a glare; he knew it had not been on purpose, but the prince was just plain clumsy today! 

“Watch how you move in here! Scupango, look at me, you got my hair soaked!” Ioz continued to grumble, but he was in a tub full of water, and he was more than likely going to have to wash his hair anyhow.

 

“Pff– hahaha! It’s a good look on you, Ioz! You look like a Cryscan cat that was shoved into water, right down to the look you’re giving me!” The prince just laughed as he spoke and gave the older man a beaming smile; the pirate smiled back and splashed some water back onto Ren, who sputtered and shut his mouth again. Now both of them were thoroughly soaked, but still smiling at each other. 

  
The prince began to scrub himself with the mildly perfumed soap and he gave a content sigh; it was wonderful to be able to do this again, especially in hot water! He was inwardly grateful that Ioz had proposed docking and staying at an inn. In fact, the prince’s mood was beginning to turn around again.

After finishing up, Ren gave a small chuckle, “All right, your turn now. Heads up!” He said as he purposely squeezed the soap in his hands, causing the slippery bar to shoot forward; this time Ioz had to move quickly to avoid getting hit in the face, and he did so with ease. Although, the little bar did slip from his hands and into the water.

 

“You did that on purpose! And it’s slippery. By Daven’s Beard, if I didn’t know any better, I would think that you are _trying_ to force me to go under the water!” Ioz said in a gruff manner, but he didn’t move to look for the soap; the prince could just hand it to him properly, since the pirate didn’t care to work any harder to bathe himself. 

  
The blond male just shrugged and gave a mischievous smile as he ducked under the water to rinse off all of the soap from his well cleansed body; he had moved from his position with his legs tightly pulled up to his chest, and instead he laid them out over Ioz’s much longer legs as he completely submerged himself. It was close quarters, but the prince was finding that he minded less and less.

It was the pirate’s turn to blush just a little as he felt Ren’s slippery body slide a little against him under the water. Now he _knew_ that the prince was doing _this_ on purpose; he knew because the boy was probably trying to pay him back for flirting with him so brazenly! What was that boy doing, anyhow? He had been under the water for longer than Ioz had expected of him. 

 

Before the pirate could look down, the prince had resurfaced about two inches away from him and grabbed him roughly. The prince had the bar of soap back in his hands, and he was attacking Ioz with it. “Scupango, Ioz, you’re filthy!” He said mockingly as he scrubbed the pirate with fervor, ignoring the awkward sounds of protest coming from the older man as he tried to squirm away and get out of the tub that was probably meant for only one person.

“if I didn’t know any better, I’d say your hair is only dark because you’re a filthy pirate, by Kunda!” Ren was teasing him quite thoroughly, and the pirate could only think to himself _‘Pay back indeed! Jitata boy!’_ as the boy continued to wash him like a mother washed her unruly child. Now Ioz really did look like a wet cat, and a very grumpy one at that! Did the prince not realize what his close proximity was doing to the older man?! He could now care less if he hated baths, because the blue eyed male was naked and practically embracing him as their slippery bodies slid against one another.

It was Ren’s turn to make a strange noise when he felt his inner thigh being poked by something hard and thick. His large, blue eyes widened further and he grabbed Ioz by his shoulders. “Filthy _indeed_ … Well, better rinse you off, then!” Ren practically purred the words out. Wait, what did he mean by that?! The older man had no time to ask as Ren pushed him under the water and clambered for escape from the tub.

 

Ioz re-surfaced, gasping for air and floundering in the shallow water; he shot a glare to the prince who was now drying himself with a rather rough looking towel. “Ren, you naja dog! I will get you for that, by the twin moons of Mer!” The pirate continued to growl threats out at the younger male as he un-plugged the tub and allowed the water to drain. (The drain led to the streets of Janda town, of course. And some unlucky civilian was more than likely being showered with the now murky water.)  
  


The prince flashed the older man a smile over his shoulder and tossed the towel he had been using to dry himself to the pirate once Ioz was out of the tub. “Ay chonga, Ioz! I have _no_ idea what you are talking about.” He feigned innocence when the pirate tore the towel off of his head and began to dry himself with it too; what a cheap inn, providing one towel for a room with two beds! Well, Ioz did 'bargain’ for the room, so it was only fair.

“Don’t give me that look…” Ren said with a softer voice as he moved closer to the pirate and reached for the towel to help him dry his long hair. The prince was carefully squeezing water from the other man’s dark hair and rubbing it with downward motions until it was mostly dry. 

“It only serves you right with how you jest with me.” He said matter-of-factly and sighed a little; so he had played unfairly, but the older man was no better than he!

Ioz continued to give him a stony stare, and the younger male recoiled a little. Had he gone too far? Ren had not thought so, but the pirate’s look was telling him otherwise. 

 

“My confessions are not in jest, despite how you may see me. I told you already how I feel about you, and I thought that you felt the same. Noy jitat, Ren!” Ioz leaned in to kiss the younger male after he was done speaking; the prince just looked a little ashamed, but he opted to kiss back gently. 

It was the pirate’s turn to laugh when he pulled away. The look on the prince’s face was priceless! Ioz was not as disappointed as he had just sounded; now that was a good way to mess with the boy for playing so unfair! Ren’s eyebrows shot up remarkably high on his forehead as Ioz continued to laugh.

 

“Ioz, you… You kreld eater! I can’t believe you!” The blond male said in embarrassment and gave the pirate a good punch to the chest; it hardly fazed the taller male as he continued to laugh, although he did make a small 'oof’ noise amidst his laughter when the blow struck him. 

“Don’t mess with someone’s emotions like that, it’s rude.” The prince said sternly, but the older male did not stop laughing at him. The boy was pouting, so how could Ioz not laugh? 

He was sure that Ren did not realize it, but it was cute; it made the young man look even younger, as if he was around fifteen instead of eighteen. The pirate slowed his laughter when he realized that, and his dark eyes widened a little. The prince was nearly thirteen years his junior, and they were playing around like teenagers! The pirate’s emotions felt all wrong at the moment, he felt so mixed up.

 

“Noy-borga… Look who’s talking, _boy_. The way you rubbed against me in the tub was almost too much!” The brunette muttered and ruffled the prince’s blond hair, which was miraculously almost dry; it was a little fluffy from air drying, but that was even cuter! It was killing the pirate! How could a regal prince look so adorable sometimes? 

“And wipe that pout from your face, it makes you look too young!” He said as an after thought, though his voice sounded almost quavery as if he was frightened. He had been a teenager younger than Ren when he had his first lover, and those memories were not exactly the good kind. 

A young, pretty pirate (male or female) often caused others to force themselves upon them; it was a disgusting practice, and Ioz had been unfortunate enough to be one of the young and pretty ones. At least now he was tall and strong (and rugged, to boot), so no one would dare do the same to him at this point.

 

“Why, Ioz, if I didn’t know better I’d say you were frightened.” The prince spoke as his pout turned into a grin; he did not catch the older male’s dark look, however. Yes, the pirate was a little frightened for a second, because he would not push a fate like his own onto anyone. Leaving home at an early age and dealing with crueler pirates than he was had led to despair. 

“Let’s get some sleep, then.” Ren said as he pulled on his trousers. He was still tired from being ill, and he was sure that the scarred man was just as tired, if not more-so. The prince gave an exaggerated yawn and walked out of the bathing room and into the sleeping area; Ioz followed suit after he had dressed as well.

 

Neither figured that there would be any love-making that day, since they had been worn out from the events days prior. And, at the moment, it was not a disappointment to either of them; between Ioz’s disconcerted feelings and Ren’s sleepiness they were both content to lay on the bed and _actually_ rest.


	11. Fear of Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Wraith finally find their newest elusive treasure on a rather odd island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera
> 
> Oooh, oh, the sexy stuff is getting closer!  
> But not in this chapter, sorry. ヽ(゜∇゜)ノ  
> Soon I'll have to add another tag to this story. The chapter is not coming up quite yet, but well... I won't spoil it, yet. Heh.

**(Chapter 11)**

**(Fear of Shadows)**

 

 

The next morning, all of the crew was on board the Wraith again. Ren had, unluckily, been forced to keep watch on the ship when he and Ioz came back. Ioz had decided to go to Zoolie’s Game House after Tula and Niddler were out of sight; so, the prince was left in charge of keeping an eye out for Joat primarily. He still felt a little guilty that they had stolen that man’s  ship so many months prior, but the man was just as wicked as most pirates, so Ren’s guilt had waned over time.

At least he and Ioz were lucky enough to get a few more hours of sleep during the night when the older man had come back (drunk again, as well, but Ren had shut his advances down fairly quickly since the dark haired man was too drunk to even stand properly. But they did share a few kisses before Ren had set the pirate down on a cot, just to appease him.) The woman and the Monkey-bird had stayed at the inn the whole night, and seemed thoroughly refreshed when they came back to the Wraith not long after dawn. 

Now they were set off again, and the wind was directly behind their sails as they followed the compass’ direction. It was pointing in a nearly identical line as last time, though maybe it was a little different, but not by much. This time around they did not dare make a stop, and Ren put the compass away frequently so that the beam of light it emitted would not be spotted by Bloth again; trepidation filled his gut, and he had no desire to attract the crew of the Maelstrom again if they were near at all.

 

Ioz gave the young male a look of concern, and Ren just smiled apprehensively back. “What’s the matter, Ren?” The pirate asked as the blond male kept looking cautiously out to sea and fidgeting a little; his hand kept moving under his shirt to hold the compass protectively, as well. 

 

“Oh… Just keeping an eye out for Bloth, that’s all.” The prince gave a small, somewhat bashful shrug; it was nothing to be ashamed of to be fearful of Bloth, after all his last encounter had gone horribly and he had come close to death (even though Ioz denied that fact when he had been asked.) He just did not want to end up a burden for his friends, again.

 

“I see…” Came the older man’s reply as he placed a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Well, this time I think we could out-run him and his behemoth ship. Kunda has been watching our backs, it seems, since the wind has stayed in proper direction since we left port.” Ioz spoke with conviction, believing that today would truly go better this time around. His words did somewhat calm Ren, although the prince was still a little nervous.

Hours soon passed, and they had even passed Pandawa now; Niddler had complained just a little about wanting more minga melons, but Tula shushed him somewhat quickly. Even she was a little wary of stopping again, because the more time they spent dawdling, the more likely that the Maelstrom would find them again. 

  
It was mid-afternoon by the time that they came upon the Floating Coral Reef, but when Ren pulled his compass out the beam did not point at the reef, and instead farther beyond it. 

“Wh-what? Noy jitat! I thought that it would be in the reef for sure!” Ren groaned out and gave a rather disgruntled stare at the beam of light. He was somewhat grateful that they would not have to go down into the water, yet, but where was his compass pointing to?! He had no idea what was out this way. It was clearly uncharted territory where the treasure would be found at.

 

“Well, maybe it is on an island, then. There are far more than have been recorded on a map, you know.” His pirate companion spoke rather tersely, sensing Ren’s discomfort at having to venture further out. The boy had become rather timid since he had been captured and injured; it was not as if the young man had no reason to be fearful, but usually he was so brave! Ioz was not sure whether he should feel frustrated at this, hopefully, short-lived timidness, or if he should be comforting the prince as much as possible. 

“And I do not believe it is going to take us too long to find out where your compass intends for us to go!” His rather stern voice almost sounded excited as he saw the silhouette of land appearing on the horizon. Even better, it looked as if it may have a rather large city on it! Despite having come from a town just that morning, the prospect of getting to search for the treasure within a civilization was thrilling; he might even find other treasures worth taking.

 

Within thirty minutes, they reached the island that had appeared on the horizon; the city itself, or at least what looked like a city, was very imposing and placed high on a cliff. Ren’s compass was incontestably pointing into the city, however, and Ioz groaned a little. Why could the treasures _never_ be on the lower part of the islands that they went to?!

They sailed around the island in hopes to find a port, or at least a beach to bring their boat up to; if there was a civilization, then usually there was some place to dock! After sailing around the oddly small island, they found that there was no sign of any place to dock at all. So, the crew set anchor and took down their detachable sail and readied themselves to glide onto the island instead. 

 

Tula was the one who looked apprehensive now; she had a distinct feeling that something was very wrong with this island. Even as they approached, she could not hear the sounds of animals, and the life there seemed very… Stagnant. Or possibly non-existent, as if the place was completely deserted.

“I don’t like the feeling of this place.” She mumbled, trying to ignore the foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach as they drew nearer to the island. Even though it was a fairly small island, it felt overbearingly vast and empty. It was as if a great, unknown monolith was waiting for them instead of a city; soon she would find out that her intuition was not far off from the truth.

 

“I, uh… I think I’ll just wait here for you guys. Besides, there are minga melon trees here!” Niddler said as he landed on the beach near them; he fidgeted nervously and glanced up at the distant city, which was just a silhouette in the mid-afternoon sun. It did look ominous, even in the broad daylight. In fact, the only one out of all of them that showed some excitement was Ioz. He figured that there might just be a fortune hidden within the city.

  
The Monkey-bird began to make his way over to the trees when Tula cried out in distress, “Niddler, _don’t_! The trees here don’t feel… right.” Something was incredibly wrong with this place, and even the plant life seemed to be crying out in agony, which only the ecomancer could feel.

 

“Huh?” Niddler turned around with a melon already in hand; he had not yet taken a bite of it, and before he even could, Tula swiftly came up to him and chopped the fruit in half with her blade. He nearly dropped the minga melon in astonishment from both having it be cut so fiercely, and because black, gooey liquid oozed out from where the pink flesh of the melon should have been.

“Noy jitat!” Screeched the feathered creature as he tossed the clearly tainted minga melon out of his hands; he scurried away from the black liquid and back to the rest of the Wraith’s crew, looking very startled by the whole ordeal. So this place, too, was diseased with the Dark Water. It was a shame, really, because if it had not been contaminated then the island really would have been lovely.

 

“Ay chongo… Is food always on your mind, Monkey-bird?!” Ioz asked impatiently, glaring down at the feathered creature; Niddler gave him a defiant, although somewhat embarrassed stare back and shrugged. Minga melons were his favorite food over anything else.

 

“I _am_ a growing Monkey-bird, after all!” Niddler retorted and gave a small ‘humph’ at the pirate; Ioz seemed very on edge about even being in this place. They all were, of course, now that they knew that the Dark Water had tainted this island as well. But just what was this place, anyhow?

 

“Growing _outward_ , maybe…” The pirate muttered under his breath and looked to Ren, who seemed to be concentrating very hard on the compass. The blond male seemed a little uneasy about going up to what they thought was a city. What sort of people were living on an island that had been corrupted? Were any people there at all? 

  
When Ren began to move, following the beam from his compass, the others trailed behind him and did not utter even one word. Obviously they were all anxious about this place; it was intriguing that one of the treasures would be in a place where Dark Water resided, and they all sincerely hoped that it was not just another trap set by the Dark Dweller and his minions. After all, even though the Dark Dweller could not leave his domain under the seas, it had been made very clear that he was able to send out creatures that would do his bidding.

The trek to the city took a good twenty minutes on foot, but once they had climbed up a rather steep and crumbling stone trail, they had reached entrance. The place was bleak and empty, and they all realized that it was not much of a city anymore.

It was the ruins of a once magnificent metropolis. The stone and marble buildings were large, but in disrepair; there was even a building further in that could have been a palace at one point in time. Whatever had happened to this place had not been kind; no people were to be seen and only remnants of whatever civilization it was remained. 

As they ventured further into the ruins, each of the Wraith’s crew noticed some peculiar statues of people who seemed to have looks of anguish plastered on their faces. Some of the statues even seemed to have the semblance of motion, as if they had been running from something. One statue that they had passed as they followed the crumbling cobbled road was standing tall and still. Had they given this particular sculpture a good look over, they would have noticed that its eyes were pure black and the clothing draped upon it was definitely not made of stone like the others.

 

“I… I sense danger.” Tula whispered, sounding strained and fearful, but she said nothing more since finding the Treasures of Rule was a perilous quest in and of itself. Something was incredibly unnerving about these ruins. Where was the life that should have existed there? She had not seen even the movement of a rat or a bird among the rubble. Other than the polluted plants that graced this island, it was completely devoid of any signs of life.

 

“Very eerie…” Whispered Ren as he looked around the forgotten city. Some sort of disaster must have struck, but that would not explain the incredibly life-like statues that still stood; this was clearly the doing of magic rather than an act of nature. He walked slowly past the statue with the black eyes as he followed the beam from his compass, and the statue’s eyes followed him with a nearly imperceptible motion. None of them seemed to have noticed that the 'statue’ had changed its position while they were concentrating on other things; Ren had not even noticed that he had passed it twice.

Niddler was clinging to Tula’s breeches as they both looked around, and they each made a sound of concurrence; this place was beyond eerie, it was plain creepy. Even Ioz had placed his hand to his sword, as if expecting an attacker to ambush them. 

As they ventured further in, they did not hear the footsteps of another behind them; the statue with the pitch black eyes had begun to creep after them. Its eyes kept flickering from the group to a large statue in the middle of the town. The center statue was of no particular artistic shape; it was just a very large sphere placed on a pedestal, and it emitted a long and wide shadow. The black eyed creature almost seemed giddy as they neared the center-piece, since the road would lead them past it anyhow. 

A grin split the creature’s face as they drew closer and closer, and it began to whisper something that none of them could hear; Ren, being up front, stepped into the shadow of the center statue first and let out a cry of surprise.

 

“Noy jitat! Don’t come any closer!” The prince cried to his companions; he could not even move his body as some unknown force kept him in place. Only his eyes and his mouth could move, but nothing more. Even his hand holding the compass could not be pulled down, and the beam from the magical compass had disappeared completely. Whatever the creature had whispered had something to do with this sculpture, or at least something to do with its ominous shadow.

 

The other three turned quickly when they heard a gravelly and distorted laughter coming from behind them; what they saw was a grotesque monster. Its skin was grey like stone, and its eyes were the color of onyx. It bared its sharp fangs in what seemed to be a grin as it drew nearer to where they stood.

“Foolish mortals! You have entered my domain. This island is under the control of the Dark Dweller.” The creature, which looked like a stone woman, was coming closer to them now; and she just laughed again as both Tula and Ioz unsheathed their swords. Niddler, on the other hand, hid behind his companions; he had no weapons in which to defend himself with, but he also did not want to turn tail just yet.

The woman reached out her grotesque, clawed hands and whispered another incantation; the shadow of the large statue in which Ren was being held captive began to spread towards his companions, and their shadows began to stretch in return. The prince’s blue eyes grew wider when he realized what was happening, and he cried out for them to run.

 

“Great Moons of Mer! _Run_!” The prince cried to his friends. “I will figure a way out of this, but if it gets you too, then we’re doomed!” He could not move, but he tried to struggle to free himself from the shadow of the odd statue. Ren fearfully clutched the compass in his hands as he watched his companions make a break for it; if they could get away, then there was some hope.

He just prayed that there were no more traps laid out for them on this sinister island. If the woman could control shadows, then who was to say that the shadow from the sculpture was the only one that she could manipulate?

 

“Ren!” Ioz cried out and moved towards the prince, but Tula grabbed the back of the pirate’s vest and began to pull him away. She realized before he did that if their shadows touched the shadow of the large, odd statue then they would be just as stuck as their prince.

 

“Ioz, we need to _hide_! That jitaten monster seems to only have power over those who are near that statue. We will figure this out, we will free Ren!” The ecomancer hissed at the tall man, and although he wanted to rush in to save Ren, he begrudgingly realized that she was correct. 

And so, she, Ioz and Niddler hurried away before the monstrous creature could take full control of their shadows as well. But how would they free Ren? Obviously the compass was useless at the moment, but if she was the minion of the Dark Dweller then she would probably take it from the prince of Octopon.

As soon as they were far enough away from the large statue and the black eyed woman, they stopped to take a rest. Tula was lost in thought, and Ioz was uttering as many curses as he knew; Niddler was, on the other hand, trembling a little and holding tightly onto the ecomancer’s leg. They were all worried, and a little frightened.  
  


“Well, what do we do now, _Tula_?!” The pirate hissed at the young woman. She just remained silent, not even giving him a glance as she tried to figure out how to get Ren out of his sticky situation. What could they do? They could not control shadows; even as an ecomancer, Tula did not have powers such as that.

 

However, she did have power over other things. Maybe not over shadows, but she could control light and fire! “Ioz, do we have cinder sand?” She asked as she shook herself from her thoughts; her green eyes gazed curiously at the pirate. He looked flabbergasted for a moment, and she narrowed her eyes. Was he really _that_ dense?!

“Nat-chut… Ioz! She can control shadows! And what can move the direction of a shadow…?” Tula asked impatiently, motioning her hand in a circular 'hurry up’ motion  so that he may get the hint. 

  
His dark eyes looked around as he thought, and he then realized, “Light… Fire! Scupango, Tula, you are a genius!” The pirate exclaimed as he understood what she was implying. If they could use the light from a torch to change the shadow’s direction, then they could free Ren from its grasp!

 

“Thank you. Now, if we can get behind the statue without her noticing us…” Her voice seemed to trail off, and she looked over at Niddler curiously. The Monkey-bird stared back and his eyes widened.

“Niddler… Can you provide a distraction?” Tula asked in the sweetest voice that she could muster, but the feathered creature shook his head with such ferocity that she almost thought his head would pop right off. But he was the only one that could move fast enough to get the black eyed woman’s interest in a timely manner!

“If you go out there for us, and for Ren,  I will buy you minga melons at every harbor we stop by for a year.” The ecomancer said seriously. Niddler’s ears perked up, and the tiniest of smiles graced his beaked face; that sort of bribery was more than enough to get him to provide a distraction.

 

“Tula, you are completely gada! If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had ballast for brains."Niddler exclaimed, looking both terrified and a little happy.

"But… For that price, you know that I’ll do it.” The Monkey-bird nodded his head as he spoke, which brought a smile to the ecomancer’s lips. 

“I will distract her the best that I can, but you two had better get that torch ready, or else I may get caught just like Ren.” He had already begun to flap his wings to fly over to the center of the city again; it was a gamble, but if they could move the shadow, then maybe they could free the prince. 

 

In an instant, Niddler was airborne and headed in the direction of the monster-woman. Distantly they could hear the black eyed woman yelling with her odd, almost under water sounding voice; she sounded angry, and they could tell that the Monkey-bird was evading her as well as he possibly could.

 

“All right Ioz. We need to light a torch and sneak over there.” Tula turned to the pirate as she spoke. She gave a wide grin as she saw him already crouching down and pulling out a torch with a small bag of cinder sand from a satchel he had tied to his waist; within seconds he had created a spark by roughly sliding his sword along the stony ground, and the torch lit with ease. 

The both of them slowly made their way back to the center of the decrepit city. Within minutes they were near the odd statue, and they could see Niddler flying around the monster-woman and hitting her with his taloned feet and wings. She was shrieking in anger and trying to grab the Monkey-bird, but she was slow as if she was actually made of stone.

Once they reached the statue, both Tula and Ioz were aghast at what they saw. Ren was still struggling to move, but his lower half was slowly turning into stone, and soon he would be just like the other statues in the city!

 

Ren’s eyes caught the sight of his humanoid companions, and he looked at them fearfully. Silently, Ioz made his way over to the statue and held the torch high; Tula closed her eyes and brought her hands to her temples. She was concentrating her powers on the flame of the torch. Slowly, but surely, the flame grew larger and larger. The shadow was being forced away from Ren and his legs were turning back to normal.

Of course, it did not take the monster-woman long at all to notice what was going on. She gave out a cry of rage and swung at Niddler, knocking him from the air roughly. The Monkey-bird landed in a heap on the ground and howled in pain; his wing had made a very strange noise as he hit the hard-packed dirt. 

The black eyed woman paid him no mind as she charged for Ioz and his torch. The light from the torch was growing brighter and dissipating the shadows around Ren completely; once the woman had come close enough, the prince made a break for it and sprinted to Ioz, knocking the torch from his hands.

The monster-woman was either stupid or too full of rage to realize that she had run straight into the shadow of her enchanted statue. She began to howl in pain as the shadow caught her and forced her to stay in place.

  
“No! This was not supposed to happen, this was not…” Her voice seemed to catch in her throat; unlike the statues that she had made of the people of the island, she was being drawn up against the odd sculpture. The black eyed woman struggled and shrieked as her body melded to the sphere of the sculpture, and soon she looked like she had been carved onto it; her struggling and crying had ceased. She was clearly no longer able to move and was fated to become a part of the evil object that she had created.

The other statues had been there for so long that when their evil maker had met her demise, they crumbled into dust; it must have been centuries since they had been turned to stone, and it was their fate to leave Mer now. At least they could rest in peace instead of providing a rather creepy decoration for their long-since abandoned city.

 

Ren was breathing rapidly and leaning against Ioz; his legs hurt and despite having run when he was freed, he now felt weak and heavy. Niddler, too, made his way over to the group and let out a small whimper. His wing was not broken, but he knew that flying was not possible for the next few days. 

 

“C-can we just find the treasure and get out of here..?” The Monkey-bird whined, fearing that more of the Dark Dweller’s minions would swarm the island if they were not quick enough.

 

Ren continued his labored breathing as he massaged the muscles in his legs. Who knew that even temporarily turning to stone could be so painful? No wonder the now crumbled 'statues’ in the ruins had looked pained and fearful! Their deaths must have been agony.

“Give me a minute, Niddler. We will continue our search, but I think that both you and I may need to take it slow.” The prince said with a sad smile, looking at the Monkey-bird; he could see the ruffled wing on the feathered creature, and he was pretty sure it was sprained. 

 

“Honestly, I think it is a good idea to move as soon as possible.” Ioz said as he looked down at Ren who was struggling to stand again; the boy’s legs must have been in a great deal of pain, because every time he pushed himself up he collapsed onto the ground again and gave anguished groans. 

The tall pirate leaned down and offered an arm to the prince. The younger male took it and stood gingerly; he did agree with Ioz, since none of them wanted to stay in this creepy place longer than they had to. Ren pulled his compass out again and the magical item glowed a bright blue, soon emitting a beam that directed them straight towards the old, crumbling palace farther up the road.

“Tula, Niddler, go on ahead of us. I’ll help Ren along, but if you see any sign of danger leave immediately!” The dark haired man spoke sternly, which caused the ecomancer and the Monkey-bird to nod and amble rapidly over to the ancient building. Ren leaned against his tall companion and limped slowly along as they followed their other two ship-mates.

 

“Thank you, Ioz…” The prince murmured and gave the pirate a slightly embarrassed smile. He was ashamed to be a burden again, but with all of the evil people and monsters after him and his compass he was bound to get injured many more times before their quest was through. 

Ioz just nodded and tightened his grip around the blond male’s shoulders to keep him steady as they walked; their movements were a little clumsy and uneven due to their height difference, but they were making fairly good headway to the decaying palace. Honestly, the pirate just wanted to protect his prince as well as he could. He already felt as though he failed Ren twice now, and he would not allow for another jitaten monster to lay its hands on the boy!

 

Soon all of the Wraith’s crew was standing at the entrance of the decrepit palace. The inside was pitch black, save for the beam of light from Ren’s compass; they slowly made their way inside, and Tula took out the torch that had been dropped earlier and lit it once more. Once the dim, flickering light of the fire brightened the foyer, they could see cobwebs and piles of crumbled stone that were presumably once living beings. 

The group of four slowly ventured further into the dark building, following the blue strip of light. The beam led them to a decaying door, and behind the door was a set of stairs; Tula went first to light the way, Ioz and Ren were next, and Niddler was last as he was fearful of what could await them at the bottom of the old stone stairs. The prince and his pirate companion were squeezed very close together in the tight corridor, and they tried to move in unison. 

 

It was a slow process that felt like eternity, but eventually they all reached the bottom of the stairs. An old royal catacomb greeted them; there were stone coffins leaned up against the walls, and the room itself was almost impossibly cold. “I don’t sense any danger.” Tula finally spoke, breaking the eerie silence and causing her companions to jump a little in fright at the sudden noise. Her voice echoed in the vast underground catacombs, and Niddler gave a terrified shriek.

 

“Nat-chut! Be _quiet!_ ” The Monkey-bird whispered frantically. He peered around, staring at each of the coffins that they passed as if he feared that they would open and undead monsters would rise from them.

 

“What, are you _afraid_ that the dead will come back to life?” Ioz was the one to speak now, and he gave a hearty laugh at the Monkey-bird’s expense. The feathered creature gave him a glare in response. Niddler clicked his beak a little as he thought of a retort; just because he was afraid did not mean that he deserved to be teased!

 

“Ioz, _you_ know better than the rest of us that the dead can come back! Your greed almost got you stuck on a ghost ship, remember?” Niddler spoke back harshly, which caused the pirate to sneer at him. It was true, though, but Ioz had tried to forget that incident. He hated ghosts, but he did not fear them; he also _hated_ being mocked for his greed, despite being an insatiable fortune hunter. 

Without realizing it, the older male squeezed Ren’s shoulders rather roughly and the prince let out a groan of pain. If the pirate could not keep his temper, then the blond male would just have to try to walk on his own; he had no desire to be in more pain than he already was in!

 

“Noy jitat! Cut it out you two!” Ren hissed out and jabbed Ioz in the ribs with his elbow to try and get the pirate to loosen his grip a bit; the dark haired man grunted and gave the boy’s shoulders another rough squeeze to leave a bruise.

  
The prince yelped and pried himself away from Ioz, limping rapidly to catch up to Tula instead. At least she would probably be the kindest and most rational one at this point. Ren didn’t even mind if he had to move without help; the pain in his legs would subside eventually, and he would rather not get into a brawl with his pirate companion.

“Hope you don’t mind me here, Tula.” He said softly to the woman, and she just gave him a small smile. She slowed her pace so that they could walk side by side; Ren was grateful for that, and he ignored the blatant and heated gaze that Ioz was giving him. It was all fine by the prince for the older man to be jealous since he was being a boorish lout! 

 

Ioz grumbled words that Ren could not make out, but he was certain it was something incredibly rude. Well, it did serve the pirate right for being in such a foul mood; in fact, the catacombs seemed to be having a bad effect on all of them. They seemed on edge and as they trudged deeper and deeper into the crypt, it seemed that a mist was rising from the ground and swirling around them.

 

The Monkey-bird and the pirate were still squabbling behind Tula and Ren, but the prince tried to ignore their ever rising voices. They were beginning to wear on his nerves!

“We had better find the jitaten treasure soon, or I think I am going to lose my mind because of those two…” Ren hissed bitterly and brought a hand to the bridge of his nose to give it a small squeeze and ward off an oncoming headache. He felt claustrophobic in this ancient and eroding resting place for the dead. Tula just placed a hand gently on his shoulder and sighed.

 

“I don’t think it will be much longer now. The light from your compass is hitting something just ahead, don’t you see it?” She asked calmly; the ecomancer seemed to be the only one unaffected by the ever present darkness of the dank crypt. Ren narrowed his eyes and squinted to where the beam rested. She was right! There it was, the treasure was surely just up ahead!

  
The young prince mustered all of his strength in his legs and began to hobble over to the narrow end of the catacombs. In front of him stood an ominous and large marble sarcophagus, but the beam from his compass adamantly rested on the surface of the coffin. Clearly it was the resting place of a dead king, or at least someone of great wealth and prestige. 

Ren leaned down and began to push at the lid of the ornate marble coffin, but it would not budge! “Nat-chut!” He exclaimed and took a deep breath; sweat was beginning to bead off of his forehead and trail down his face as he continued to push against the heavy lid, but it hardly moved. His palms began to sweat and his feet slid on the stone ground beneath him. If he kept it up alone, he would collapse!

“Noy jitat! Tula, Ioz, Niddler _help_ me!” The blond male cried out in frustration, and his companions were at his side in an instant; Niddler and Ioz’s quarrel was forgotten now as they all began to lean against the heavy lid with all of their weight. Slowly but surely it began to move. A high pitched squealing sound made all of them wince as the marble rubbed against itself, and within minutes the heavy lid fell off and onto the stone floor of the catacombs with a deafening thud. 

 

Ren coughed as dust rose from inside of the coffin, and he backed away to rub at his irritated eyes. Once he had blinked the dust away, he saw a very regal skeleton lain within the coffin; it was decked out in jewels and tattered royal garb. Whoever it was, he had been the ruler of this long forgotten civilization. The prince had to grab Ioz when he realized that the pirate was reaching greedily for the crown upon the ancient king’s skull.

“No, Ioz. We are here for only one treasure!” The prince chided the older man and looked down at the skeleton; the beam from his compass was trained on a large ring that the old king wore. Like all of the Treasures of Rule that they had found before, the gem embedded in the ornate gold ring was a deep blue, the same color as Ren’s impossibly beautiful eyes.

“Forgive me, your highness…” The prince whispered to the long dead ruler and gently grabbed at the skeletal hand; the bones crumbled to dust as he did so, but the ring was now in his grasp. Ren bowed his head for a moment and uttered a soft thank you to the deceased king. While it may have been a silly gesture, the blond male was grateful that even in death this monarch had protected one of the treasures. And now they were one step closer to saving Mer.

 

As they turned to leave, Ren did not notice that Ioz nabbed a few treasures off of the dead king; why would the old man need jewels in the after-life anyhow? But the pirate would not tell the others, because he knew that none of them would be happy for it.


	12. Stormy Seas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the crew of the Wraith receives the ninth Treasure of Rule, they head for Octopon and are dragged into a storm at sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It gets a little steamy between Ren and Ioz in this chapter.   
> We're getting closer to relationship development/sexy-tiemz! (｡◕‿◕｡)

**(Chapter 12)**

**Stormy Seas**

 

The crew had made it back to their ship without a hitch; there had been no more monsters waiting for them on that long-since abandoned island. The place itself, with any luck, would become populated again. Or else it would be swallowed into the sea, as many islands of Mer were wont to do.

Ren was seated on the deck, massaging his aching legs again and making small sounds of discomfort. He had looked at them after he and his crew had gotten back on the Wraith, and his limbs did not look any different; the prince just hoped that there was no permanent internal damage. After all, what sort of adventurer and someday ruler of a kingdom had no use of his legs?! It was an infuriating thought, and it meant that he would have to rely even more heavily on his companions than he did already. 

The blond prince eyed the newest Treasure of Rule once the aching in his legs had subsided into a dull throbbing sensation. It was a beautiful ring; the band around the gem had ornate carvings (more than likely words of a long lost language), and even the prongs holding the center stone in place seemed to have designs etched into them. Whoever had fashioned this ring was a master at it, and Ren could feel a warmth flowing from the treasure, indicating that more than just the gemstone in the middle was imbued with a sort of magic. 

Maybe… If he could remove the Treasure of Rule from the center portion, then he could use the rest of the ring as an engagement gift. But it was too large for the slender hands of Tula; it would fit Ioz, he was certain, but proposing to a man was _preposterous_! The prince gave a small sigh and turned the ring over in his hands to study every little detail of it. He was amazed that the gold band had not eroded over the time that it was buried with the old king; the carvings upon it looked fresh, as if it had only been made yesterday! But that was the power of magic, after all.

The Wraith was sailing towards Octopon now so that they could return the treasure and push the Dark Dweller farther back into the core of the planet; the young prince was rather excited to see his home-land again! After all, he had spent much of his life in the old lighthouse with the few people left in his kingdom, but now Octopon had been mostly restored to its former glory. With any luck, they would reach it by night-fall.

However, while Ren was deep within his pensive thoughts, he did not notice the dark storm clouds on the horizon. He was too excited to see Jenna and Octopon! But he was forcefully shaken from his happy thoughts as a large wave crashed into their ship and he went tumbling off to the side, hitting the railing and crying out in pain. 

With a gasp of surprise, he made sure to clutch the ring tightly in his hands, and he stood up; the prince was still a little wobbly, but the deep ache in his muscles had nearly disappeared by this point. 

He brought a hand to his head to feel a painful bruise where it had hit the railing; a small bump was forming, and by Daven’s Beard he would have a headache for days at his rate! “Scupango! Ioz, watch where you are steering!” He yelled to the pirate, who glared over at him and gave him a sneer in response.

 

“Do you have ballast for brains, _boy_?! There’s a storm overhead!” Ioz yelled over a large gust of howling wind, and Ren looked up at the darkening sky. Sunset was still a few hours away, but the sky was nearly pitch black with angry looking clouds; lightening sparked within the clouds, and loud claps of thunder could be heard with every bolt that crashed down into the sea.

After a few more thunder claps, heavy drops of rain began to fall, and the gales of wind made the water feel sharp; the blond winced as the droplets hit him relentlessly, stinging his face. He moved slowly, with the wind pushing him back roughly, to the helm where Ioz was and shielded his eyes from the wind and rain with one hand, while the other still clutched desperately at the ninth Treasure of Rule.

 

“Give me your hand, Ioz.” Ren spoke loudly over the wind, and the pirate gave him a confused stare; slowly, he reached a large, calloused hand out to the prince and Ren placed the ring on Ioz’s middle finger. It was a perfect fit, and it would stay safe like that in this storm! That way he would not have to worry about losing it.

The pirate seemed at a loss for words, and so he turned away from the boy and clutched the wheel of the ship to steer against the large, crashing waves. After the prince had given the ring to Ioz, he turned to call out to Tula and Niddler.

“Tula! Go down below and drive any water out of the hull if it gets in! I don’t think the storm will let up any time soon, and we need your help so that we don’t sink!” Ren barked the order to the Ecomancer, and she just nodded as she scrambled down into the cabin below. With any luck the hull of the Wraith would not be breached, but if it was, her ecomantic powers would come in handy until they were in port somewhere and able to fix any damage.

The prince now turned his eyes to Niddler, blinking away more of the rain water as he did so. “Niddler, bring in the sails and then join Tula down below!” The prince hoped that he was heard over the loud thunder and the gusts of wind; luckily, the Monkey-bird seemed to have understood him anyhow and did as he was told. Soon enough it was just Ioz and Ren on the deck of the ship, and they were both clutching the wheel tightly so they could control the Wraith as well as possible. The erratic waves were making it nearly impossible to steer the ship, especially with the water making the wooden handles very slick.

 

Ioz placed himself behind the prince to shield him from the rain; his large hands held two of the outer handles of the wheel, while Ren took the inner handles and held them tightly. 

“I don’t know if we are going to make it to Octopon, Ren.” The pirate spoke into the boy’s ear, and the young man just turned his head slightly to look at Ioz. He gave a small, dejected nod. He knew that the storm was forcing them away from his home, and he just hoped that they would end up at a hospitable island when the storm let up.

 

The two men huddled against each other as the storm raged on, and between the two of them they were able to steer the ship through the squall; the blond male was feeling a little embarrassed at their close proximity, in fact Ioz was pressed directly against him!

He knew that the pirate was probably just being protective, but it was… A bit of a turn-on. He could feel every muscle and curve of the older man’s body as both of their wet clothes clung tightly to their skin; he could even feel the bulge of the man’s crotch resting against the small of his back, right above his rear. 

The prince began to tremble slightly, trying to fight his body’s urges. They were in the middle of a deadly storm for Kunda’s sake! The taller male must have taken the soft shudders of the boy’s body as a sign of being cold, and he pressed even closer to Ren. “Are you all right, boy..?” He asked gently, pressing his chest up against Ren’s back and pinning the prince to the helm.

 

“All right..? _Yes_ , I am fine, Ioz.” His voice was low, and he uttered the pirate’s name rather gutturally; the older man knew what sort of intonation that was. It was lust, pure and simple. But now was not the time for such desires! They could die if they did not concentrate at the task at hand. 

On the other hand… The boy had been playing so hard to get, and this was just killing the pirate! Ioz let out a frustrated sigh and removed one hand from the wheel of the ship, slipping it under the prince’s shirt and wriggling it upwards to give one of Ren’s hardened nipples (due to the cold) a rough pinch. The prince cried out in pleasure and surprise, arching his back against the older male and grinding his rear into the pirate’s crotch a little roughly. 

 

The brunette gave a wicked grin as he continued to rub and pinch the little nub; however, after a minute he removed his hand from beneath the boy’s shirt and placed it back on the wheel.

Ren let out a disappointed groan and whimpered just a little. “Ioz, you naja dog! Why would you do that?!” He growled at the older man when he had regained his senses a little, and the pirate just laughed.

 

“You have been _teasing_ me for nearly a week now, jitata boy! I think it was my turn to show you the same honor. Besides that, we would probably die if I continued; look at what situation we are in!” Ioz spoke roughly and leaned in to bite at the upper tip of the boy’s ear. He rather liked making Ren squirm and show his wanton side; it was very satisfying, to say the least.

“But… _If_ you want, wherever we end up I can finally show you a good time… What do you say, Ren?” The pirate asked with a husky voice, and the blond male just nodded a little; Ren was trying to get a hold of himself now, even as he was still pressed up against the helm. He could feel the older male’s forming erection prodding against his lower back, and his own was rubbing the wheel slightly. How could the pirate maintain his concentration while the blond male felt light headed and aroused?! It was infuriating!

 

The squall did not let up as they sailed through the night; Ren was sure now that it was well past sunset and he could not see anything other than the pitch black sea and sky. It seemed that there was no end to the darkness, and if they happened upon Dark Water then they would be doomed! The waves crashed again and again into the Wraith, splashing up on the deck and continually getting the two men soaked with the salty water. It was beginning to sting the prince’s skin, but Ioz seemed to be handling the storm very well. 

From down below, he could hear Niddler screeching and Tula using her powers to hurl the water out of the cabin and back onto the deck; even if she had shut the door to the cabin, water would surely find its way in. None of them would get any rest that night so long as the storm raged on.

It was nearing midnight when the torrential rain had slowed to a drizzle; the gusts of wind came and went periodically, but the droplets of water no longer stung when they hit the two men on the deck. The sky, however, was still as black as pitch and the moons nor the stars were of any help behind the clouds. They still could not see where they were going, and both Ioz and Ren felt lucky to have not hit another ship or wrecked their own on land.

 

Their relief, however, did not last long as their ship lurched forward and made a horrid crunching sound. They had hit land! And they were probably going to have to repair a large hole once they could see in the morning, but at least they had not sunk during the storm.

“What was _that_?!” Came a distressed cry from the cabin below, and Tula practically flew up the stairs and onto the deck. She was lucky that she had not slipped on the wet planks of wood! Although it was dark, she could see both the prince and the pirate had toppled over and they were struggling to get up and off of each other; clearly they had fallen during the crash.

 

“Chongo longo, _woman_! Can’t you tell that we are ship-wrecked?” Ioz growled out in frustration as he finally freed himself from the younger man’s limbs. Although as soon as he had stood up, he slipped on the planks and fell backwards.

“Scupango, that jitaten storm has made it more dangerous to be on the ship than in the ocean…” The dark haired male grumbled as he rubbed his sore ass and tried to stand again; this time he maintained his balance and he walked over to the young woman, who was just a silhouette in the dark. 

“With any luck, we are safe for now. Go back down below. We will rest, since there is nothing more that we can do tonight.” The pirate spoke gruffly to the ecomancer, and she just gave a frustrated sigh in return. “Ren, you too! You’ve helped more than enough. I’m sure we will be able to make it to Octopon in a day or two, once we fix the Wraith.” Ioz turned his head to look at the dark shape of the boy still planted on the deck.

 

The young man just groaned a little as he continued to lay on the deck; when they had crashed he had hit his stomach rather roughly on one of the handles of the ship’s wheel and now he was trying to get his breath back. “J-just a moment, Ioz. N-noy jitat…” 

Ren clutched his stomach and stood weakly. He hoped that the blow to his abdomen had not caused any bleeding, since he would not be able to find out until it was light out. The blond male slouched as he guarded his pained abdomen and walked slowly over to his companions. Both Ioz and Tula put an arm around the prince and carefully helped him down the stairs.

  
Once they were down below, they could hear Niddler whining as he pushed a crate off of himself. “Gee, thanks for the help, _guys_.” The Monkey-bird said sarcastically and waddled over to one of the cots; all of their rations were knocked over, and a few of the crates had been split open from the impact of the ship onto the shore. They would just have to inspect the damages done when they awoke.

 

It was a shame, though, because they had spent so much money to re-stock on everything and much of it was probably ruined by the water that had made its way into the cabin. At least their cots were mostly dry. And the blankets would be warm.

Each of them trudged over to the straw covered cots; Ioz and Ren peeled off their wet clothes, except for their under garments of course. And they laid down for the night in hopes that the next day would prove to be more benevolent that this one had been.


	13. Unwanted Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ioz is displeased with where the previous night's storm has crashed their ship.  
> His ship-mates find out exactly why he is so unhappy about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera
> 
> Oh my goodness, we're actually getting close to the first sex scene! That's it, end of story folks. The adventure ends when the sex begins! (Kidding, kidding! I really want to finish the quest as well, of course! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ)

**Ch13**

**(Unwanted Home-coming)**

 

Ioz was the first to wake as the rays of the morning sun filtered in through the cracks between the wooden planks of the ship; there were definitely going to be some extensive repairs, and he was going to steal the supplies whether or not his prince liked it. 

Otherwise they could be without a ship for months; months with no ship meant that either Bloth or the Dark Dweller would be able to come even closer to finding the remaining Treasures of Rule, as well. 

They _had_ to get back onto the sea as soon as possible. Even a few days was going to turn their situation dire. The pirate felt it in his bones, and by Daven’s Beard, he had no desire to see Mer disappear forever under the plague of Dark Water. Although they would be dead and gone, he secretly feared disappointing Ren the most… 

The older man stretched and groaned in pain. Having steered the ship through such a wretched storm, and crashing it so unceremoniously onto an island had put his normally fit body into a rather poor condition, and he was sure that his ship-mates would suffer the same once they awoke. Of course, there was the chance he could give Ren a little massage and receive one in return… 

On the bright side, he had gotten the blond male to agree, while sober, that they would be having a bit of _fun_ while they were stranded here. Now he would just have to get Niddler and Tula away for a few hours so that he could show the boy what having a lover was like. 

The very thought brought a mischievous smile to his scarred face; oh to have that strong, yet supple body pinned beneath him and to be buried to the hilt inside of the prince’s tight, virginal heat… What bliss it would be indeed! 

He wondered briefly what it would feel like to have Ren’s toned thighs wrapped around his waist as he pinned the boy’s arms above his head. Ioz even wondered how the boy’s pheromones would smell as their naked bodies slid together, covered in a light sheen of sweat and the sound of flesh on flesh resounding throughout whatever room they were to stay in. And more-so than ever, he was curious as to what beautiful sounds and faces the younger male would make as the pirate would take it upon himself to pleasure his prince thoroughly. 

 

The pirate bit his bottom lip and pushed himself off of his cot, which was still damp from the water having gotten down into the cabin, and he dressed himself in his still damp, cold clothes, which effectively ruined his hardened arousal. 

“Noy jitat…” Ioz grumbled at the feel of the clammy garments. It was uncomfortable, so he would have to go out into the sun and dry. Kindly, he took the prince’s clothes as well, since the garments had been piled onto the wet planks of the floor. Ioz climbed up the stairs, which did seem to be at a bit of an odd angle, and made his way up to the deck. 

Once he was up there, he realized that the bow of the ship was buried a few inches into the beach and the bowsprit was broken clean off! He groaned and shook his head; they had done all they could to survive the last night’s storm, but at this rate and with what little money they had it may have been better to just allow the sea to swallow them! 

 

He got to work with hanging Ren’s clothes on one of the detached riggings and shook his head while he tied the rope to the railing of the Wraith to allow the clothes to dry. The damage was severe, and they had not seen it at all in the dark of night; all of their cinder sand had been wet and so even if they had tried to re-light their lanterns it would have been all for naught. But, at least the sun was warm again and he was sure that he would dry quickly, as would Ren’s clothing. 

“Chongo longo… Now, _where_ are we?” The pirate asked himself as he peered around; the beach was vast and beautiful, and it was similarly a tropical paradise as many of the islands they had been to before! In the distance, however, he could make out a seaside village. 

Ioz’s face paled as he recognized the look of the village. Oh no, no, no! “Nat-chut! Why _here_ , why _now_?!” The pirate groaned in despair as he kept an eye on the village; he knew _exactly_ where they had crashed: Tayhoj, his home. And he was certain that his family would be none too happy to see the black sheep. 

 

He had taken his share of his deceased father’s gold many years ago, but his sister Solia had informed him that their family was now poverty-stricken since he had left. He was certain that for a time they were still comfortable, but most of his siblings had been too young to work, and his mother had her hands full with the children. The rest of their gold had probably dwindled to almost nothing as he was making his way up in the pirate world.

Solia was gone now, as well, which meant that either the rest of his siblings had become thieves and warf-rats just like him and his eldest (though still younger) sibling, or they had gone into labor-intensive careers.

At least the last time he had come across his sister, she had gotten her hands on some treasure. And on their poor island, that was more than enough to pay for quite a few months of food! Well, he just hoped that his mother would not beat him black and blue when he showed up in town, and inevitably at her doorstep. 

But, he had nabbed some treasure too… Even though his ship-mates did not know that; maybe he could use it to appease his family. Maybe his mother would be happy with him, even if she disapproved of his pirate life-style.

 

“Why are you making such a ruckus so early?” Came a sleepy voice from the stairs of the cabin. Ren emerged, dressed only in his still mildly damp undergarments. He rubbed his eyes as the bright morning sun struck him directly in his tired, sapphire orbs. 

When he pulled his hands away from his still sensitive, beautiful blue eyes, he noticed that his clothing was hung out to dry and Ioz had a look of despair on his face. “Noy jitat! We really did a number on the Wraith.” The prince mumbled, as he figured that was what upset the pirate so! But Ioz just stared at him still and nodded a bit. 

Well, then the damage to their ship probably was not what was bothering the older man so profusely. What could it be? The prince stepped closer to his older companion and placed a hand on Ioz’s muscular arm. He opened his mouth to speak, and to ask what was the matter; he could see the pirate’s dark eyes flickering from him and then towards a village near the sea. 

Was this place dangerous?! “What is bothering you, my friend? We will find more wood and rope to repair the ship! Or… Are you not welcome here?” Ren asked finally, and the dark haired male sighed in response. The prince just gave the older man a gentle pat on the shoulder and stared out at the village in the distance. 

 

“I am… Unsure, Ren. That town is, or _was_ my home at one time. I was born there, and… Ay chonga! My family is sure to resent me as Solia did!” Ioz spoke with frustration and brought his hands to his face; he effectively hid his own face in shame behind his large calloused hands. 

The prince now stared at the pirate in surprise. Ren bit his bottom lip as he thought of how to respond. Surely Ioz’s family would not _hate_ him for leaving; most families were happy to see their own, were they not? How could he comfort the pirate? 

 

They _needed_ to go into the town for supplies and for help with their ship, but the older man was definitely not going to want to step foot there. Then again, would his family recognize him? The prince was certain that Ioz had left at an early age… But a mother would not forget the face of her own son so easily… 

“I will go there in your stead, then. Tula and I can get supplies while you wait here.” Ren spoke softly and pulled Ioz’s hands away from the pirate’s face; shame was not something that befitted the older thief. With a kind smile, the blond male placed a kiss on the scarred man’s lips. 

 

Ioz’s breath hitched for a moment, because it had normally been taking a bit of coaxing to get his prince to show him affection, but this time it was completely unsolicited! The pirate now buried his large hands in Ren’s blond, silky hair (although it was a little matted from the storm they had sailed through.) He kissed back greedily and caused the shorter male to elicit moans and soft sighs of delight. 

Even though the older male knew that the prince just probably felt pity for him, he was happy to receive true affection! Oh, he wanted so much more! One of his hands moved from the boy’s hair and down to the small of his back to pull Ren even closer.

Maybe it was a little unfair to the young prince only dressed in his undergarments, but Ioz was thoroughly enjoying the feel of that smooth, tanned skin beneath his rough hands. As soon as the pirate’s hand strayed further into the prince’s thin undergarments to feel his toned buttocks, 

 

Ren gasped and pulled away. Although, he did not move far enough away to escape the salacious gropes that Ioz was giving his backside. “Ioz!” Ren hissed a little and tried to squirm completely from the pirate’s grasp. The older man, however, did not know why his little prince was getting so upset. 

Everyone else was still asleep, they were _alone_ for now! The blond boy, however, did not give up his struggling; the pirate was thoroughly enjoying the movements since it allowed him to feel more than he would have just by groping the boy in a more innocent manner. 

 

“If you are so ashamed, boy, let us go into the trees for a while. Your clothes have yet to dry, and we could get some true privacy.” The older man chuckled as he spoke, which earned him a glare from those bright, blue eyes of the prince. 

He pulled his rough hand from the young man’s under garments and gave Ren a motion to follow him as he jumped off the side of the Wraith. The prince shuffled apprehensively as if weighing the pros and cons of following the dark haired male, but after a moment he decided he would follow Ioz. He had, after all, shown his true colors the night before and a little make-out session in the privacy of the trees could not hurt… 

 

But, nat-chut! He was so nervous! At least he was gaining some experience… Right? As soon as Ren leaped from their wrecked ship as well, he landed fairly unceremoniously onto the sand of the beach and gave a pained yelp. 

The sand was still hard-packed from the storm before, and it hurt his feet and ankles as he hit it so roughly! Ioz was such a naja dog, since he was wearing boots while the prince was barely clothed at all! “Kreld-eating… Jitaten…” The blond prince muttered insults under his breath as he tried to will away the pain in his feet and ankles. 

The blond male scrambled to get up from the sand and followed his older companion, who was quickly fading into the shade of the trees. However, once he had slipped into the tropical forest, the feeling of soft, cool grass soothed his feet; Ioz was only a few feet ahead and walking slowly so that the prince could catch up. 

 

Once they were about a hundred or two hundred feet into the forest, the pirate turned abruptly and grabbed at Ren’s toned shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace. The younger male gasped in surprise, but leaned into the embrace willingly. Ioz was wonderfully warm, and his strong arms were comforting…

“With any luck, boy, we will get to be alone for another hour or two. And I am loathing these jitaten damp clothes; would you mind too much if I stripped down?” The scarred man asked as he pulled out of their sweet embrace, and Ren eyed him warily. It was a good enough question, and kind for the pirate to even ask at all! 

So, the blond male nodded a bit and tried to will away the oncoming blush that was forming in his cheeks. Ren watched in fascination now as the pirate peeled off his damp vest, and then his boots and trousers. They were now both in their under garments, but that may have changed before long! 

 

The prince reached forward curiously to touch the older man’s smooth chest and abdomen; he had been too bashful before, but he could not take back the wantonness that he had shown during the storm! So, he decided that he may as well welcome it for the time being. 

“Ioz…” The blond male began to speak again, although he kept his eyes averted from the taller man’s face and chose to stare at his muscled chest. “What… Is it going to be like? Will it hurt?” He asked quietly, feeling so embarrassed at knowing nothing about sex! He was a teenager who had been taught nothing! 

 

The older man just chuckled at the boy’s embarrassment and caressed one of his cheeks gently; his calloused hand still soothed the burning blush, no matter how hot-blooded the pirate always seemed to feel to Ren. The boy gave a nervous smile in return to the kind gesture. 

“I cannot tell you for certain, jitata boy. It is different for everyone… You may feel a little pain, or you may not.” The pirate said softly and sighed; his first time had been painful, uncomfortable and downright unpleasant, but he was also forced into such a position. 

When he had been the one to take the liberties of penetrating others, he was far gentler and most of his lovers had not complained about much pain at all! Ioz would do just about anything to make sure that Ren did not experience any discomfort. 

“But… Ay chongo! This is not the sort of area I want to take your virginity in anyhow! Whatever fantasies your young mind may come up with are far from reality. Grass and dirt are quite uncomfortable to make love in. There are insects and other things…” The pirate trailed off and laughed at the scrunched up face that Ren was making. The thought of bugs crawling on him while naked was very unappealing indeed! Ioz ruffled his prince’s blond hair and peered around. So far it was obvious that Tula and Niddler were not up and looking for them, yet. And clearly no one from the village had noticed the shipwreck on shore! 

“But afterwards, if you do like what I do for you, we may be more adventurous.” The scarred man shrugged and leaned in to kiss Ren deeply. The boy kissed back and wrapped his toned arms around the older man’s mostly naked torso once more. 

 

Both of the men continued to kiss each other ravenously and sank to the grassy undergrowth of the tropical forest; the prince was grateful that he had at least decided to keep his under garments on now! But the grass was soft on his legs and feet, and he even allowed the pirate to push him down against it so that he was laying on the slightly damp blades of grass. 

The prince shivered a little and gave a small gasp as the blades of grass tickled his back lightly, and it was so cold! But the older male was holding him down roughly; Ioz soon straddled the blond boy’s hips and held Ren’s arms above his head. 

Well, it certainly did not seem like the scarred man was being fully honest about not wanting to make love in the grass! Ioz gave the prince a delicate bite on his bottom lip, which caused the younger male to moan and buck his hips upward in an agreeable fashion. He could feel the warmth between the pirate’s legs and although he was not looking down, he could tell that there was a sizable and hard object pressing against his stomach lightly. His own arousal was trapped beneath the taller male as they continued to kiss passionately. 

 

The pirate ventured to change his position to lay completely on top of the boy and rub their clothed sexes against each other. “Oh!” Gasped Ren as he felt the large organ behind thin cloth touching his own manhood and rubbing against it relentlessly. It was almost cruel how Ioz was teasing him so! 

The taller male took both of the prince’s wrists into one of his large hands, while his other hand moved between their bodies and pushed the waistbands of their undergarments down until they were flesh against flesh. He grasped both of the hardened organs in his large, rough hand and began to pump his hand up and down, slowly at first, and then faster. 

 

It felt like electricity was shooting through the prince’s body as their rigid cocks rubbed together in the older man’s large, calloused palm! After about five or so minutes of the pirate’s ministrations, the blond male let out a cry of pure delight and closed his eyes as he came to climax against the older man. 

The warm, sticky fluid spurted out in thick ropes and hit both his stomach and Ioz’s chest; the older man, however, was not quite finished yet. Oh how he wanted the boy’s virginity right now! But he had also wanted to take it the way that the prince deserved. Which meant in a comfortable bedroom and in complete privacy. 

The scarred man pulled away from the younger male’s shuddering body and seated himself in the damp grass. “Ren, bring yourself here.” He said in a low voice, and the younger male pushed himself up to comply; he, however, could only stare at the pirate for a moment in awe. The man’s arousal was _far_ larger and thicker than the prince had previously thought. 

 

His blue eyes widened almost impossibly and his mouth hung open. He had also been right about the piercing he had thought he had seen momentarily in the bath! 

Ioz began to laugh at the blond male’s face, which was reddening in embarrassment now. Was it really that magnificent? He’d had lovers before that had said so! But really, rarely any of them were true virgins; the poor prince, however, was a virgin through and through. Had he never even truly seen another male naked before? 

“Noy jitat, put that mouth to use, boy! If you are going to keep it open like that, then you may as well pleasure me with it!” The pirate still had laughter in his voice as he spoke, and each laugh caused his abdominal muscles to tighten, which in turn allowed pre-cum to ooze from the pierced slit at the head of his member. He did not expect the boy to do a very good job with his mouth his first time, but it would be worth teaching the prince. 

 

“Nat-chut! You… I…” The prince sputtered out a few words, but could make no coherent sentences. He wondered briefly if the piercing had hurt to get in there. Ren shook his head a little and tried to back away, but Ioz leaned forward and grabbed him roughly by the arm.

 

Oh no, the boy had gotten his climax by Ioz, and by Kunda, the pirate was going to have his by the prince! “Finish what you started, boy. I pleasured you, did I not? You should do me the same honor!” He spoke harshly as he pulled Ren closer; once the prince was practically between the older mans muscular thighs, the older man grabbed at those blond locks and pushed the boy’s head down to his still hard member. 

The younger male had to catch himself as he was shoved down so roughly, and he placed both hands on either side of Ioz’s legs while his mouth hovered just above the head of the pirate’s cock. Ren’s eyes flickered up for a second to stare at the dark haired male, and Ioz just raised an eyebrow. 

“On with it, _my prince_ ,” He was clearly not joking around this time. “Place your lips over it and suck! Try not to get your teeth on it, though… That does not feel very good at all. Do not worry, I have no expectation of you taking the whole thing in your mouth, so I will _help_ you get me off!” The pirate growled the words out and the blond male leaned his head down to take the thick head of the man’s sex into his mouth. He made a strange noise, as it tasted somewhat salty but not entirely unpleasant. 

 

Ren began to suck tentatively at first, flicking his tongue lightly against the piercing at the tip; Ioz made a soft sound of approval and cupped the back of the prince’s head with his left hand, while the right one moved down below to grasp at his own arousal. 

As the prince began to suck a little harder on the hard sex, he bobbed his head up and down, only able to get about half of the length in his mouth. The pirate did the rest as he ran his hand up and down along the lower end of the thick shaft. 

 

Within minutes, and with the help of Ren’s warm, wet mouth, the pirate’s cock twitched as he came; the salty fluid spurted into the boy’s mouth and the prince had to pull away in surprise. The prince swallowed what he had gotten into his mouth, but made a disgruntled noise; it tasted strange, and it was a rather odd texture! Ren was unsure if he liked it much at all. 

Ioz, however, kept the prince’s head as close as possible as a few more spurts of semen hit the younger male’s face and hair. It was a wicked thing to do, but for a while now the pirate had wanted to see Ren covered in his seed. 

After he was done with his climax completely, he let the blond haired male go and the prince pulled back so hard that he fell over. “ _Ioz_ …” The prince growled lowly as he lay on the grassy ground and wiped away the quickly cooling fluid from his chin and cheek.

 

“That was a dirty trick! By Daven’s Beard, you are a cruel pirate!” Ren cried out at Ioz, and the dark haired male just looked at him with a pleased gaze. It was a shame the boy had been so hasty to wipe away the white fluid from his face; it had looked rather pretty, glistening on his tanned flesh. 

 

“Not at all. I could have done much worse to you, but you _have_ been teasing me for far too long, boy! Besides, it is not like you did not get any of your seed on me!” The scarred man chuckled and pointed at his chest where the white, glistening fluid was oozing down slowly as it continued to cool on that beautifully dark skin. Ren bit his bottom lip and sat up to give Ioz an angry glare. 

But it was true, he had climaxed upon the older man, and the older man _had_ pleasured him! The prince sighed in defeat and pulled his britches up completely so that his nether regions were covered again. Ioz was cleaning his chest off with the inner part of his own vest; the boy was too greedy if he thought that he would not have to return such a favor! It was only fair this time around. 

“Ay jitata, you did not even clean yourself properly! You still have some on your stomach…” The pirate said more gently now, taking his vest to wipe the younger male’s stomach clean. He would just have to wash the garment now and return to the ship only in his trousers and boots. The older man was not going to mention the seed that he had gotten into the boy’s hair, however. _That_ was going to be a funny explanation for Ren to give to their ship-mates! 

 

It would probably be dried and matted by the time they got back, but it definitely would not look like anything other than what it was. “Do you still want me now, jitata boy?” Ioz asked seriously as he looked into Ren’s eyes; the prince seemed to be contemplating it. 

With another sigh, he just gave a nod and looked away in shame. He was frustrated with the pirate! The fact that he actually enjoyed the humiliating act of being cum on was even more frustrating! But he would never tell the scarred man that he sort of enjoyed being dominated and humiliated… 

Well, after all, even as a light house keeper he had been treated either with utmost respect or coddled; being pushed around to a certain point was a turn on…. 

 

“Will I have to do that again?” The prince asked in response. His jaw hurt and his face felt a little sticky, even though he was sure he had wiped away all of it! Ioz’s eyebrows raised up high on his forehead at the question, but the older man shook his head. If the boy hated such an act that much, then Ioz would not force it upon him again.

 

“Not if you do not want to… Though, I rather enjoy the feeling. But there is something else that I will enjoy more.” The taller man murmured as he got up to dress himself. 

He watched as the boy began to walk away, but the pirate gave chase and pulled the blond male into a tight embrace. “I love you, Ren. I did not mean to hurt you if I did…” He spoke sadly as he wondered if he had ruined the boy’s trust.

 

Ren, however, just leaned into the embrace and closed his eyes. He still trusted Ioz, he just thought that the older man had been a little rude for doing such a thing to him! The more he thought about it, however, the more he realized that Ioz had probably been through worse experiences, and completely against his will. That was a sickening thought! 

“No, you did not hurt me. I was being selfish, by Kunda! You were right, but you should not have forced me to do something like that. I… I did not even know that people could use their mouths for such an act.” The prince spoke softly, and shame filled his voice due to the fact that he was putting on a bit of an act. 

He really did know nothing about sexual exploration, though. Ioz felt rather guilty for not warning the boy, or telling him what it was first. They stood together quietly for a moment, and the prince still leaned against his taller companion; he was watching the sun rise higher on the horizon. 

 

Morning was in full swing now, and if they did not get back soon there would be a highly confused ecomancer and Monkey-bird awake on the ship. Especially since Ren’s clothes were still hung out to dry. 

“You will not have to do it again… By my pirate’s honor!” Ioz chuckled and kissed the back of Ren’s head lightly; the boy laughed along this time, because a pirate’s honor was almost non-existent. He did, however, know what his scarred companion had meant. 

“Chongo longo! We should be getting back, look at the sun’s position!” The dark haired male said as he realized how the time had flown. They had only been in the forest for thirty minutes at most, but the ship was so cracked that the sun was surely waking their other companions now. 

“And… I will join you on your way to town, Ren. Noy jitat, it is my home! I am no coward, although my mother can be a frightful woman…” Ioz muttered out the last sentence and pushed the boy along back to the ship. Once they had reached the Wraith, Ioz helped Ren up first and then hoisted himself up onto the wrecked ship. 

 

He was still trying to figure out how they would patch it all up properly. The Wraith had been a lovely ship, and very swift! But there were holes in places that he had not even realized. Ren dressed himself in his now dried clothes and gave a soft sigh of comfort. The morning air had been a little cold, so it was wonderful to be in warm clothes again! 

He looked to the pirate, who was using one of the buckets on deck that had not been too damaged (and had filled with fresh water from the storm) to wash his vest thoroughly. The pirate was also grumbling something about having gotten more baths in the past few days than he’d ever wanted. The inn, the storm, and even taking care of his prince! He must have been the cleanest pirate on all of Mer right now! 

 

“Well… At least your mother won’t scold you for that, then.” Ren said tauntingly, and the scarred man narrowed his eyes at the prince; the glare, however, was completely in faux anger as the pirate smirked a little. The boy was right about that, at least! 

 

Once Ioz had hung his vest to dry, he looked towards the village again and shook his head. “We will head there for breakfast and supplies, then… Just let me, uh… Get something from below.” The pirate tromped down the stairs to grab the treasures he had stolen from the ruins. The treasures were neatly hidden in a sack, and he had been lucky that the sack had not fallen out of the ship when they had crashed and the hull had broken!

 

“Ioz, is that you?” Came Tula’s voice from the sleeping area; she sat up in her cot and stared at the pirate blearily.

 

“Of course, who else would it be?” The pirate asked impatiently as he headed back for the stairs. “Ren and I are going into town for supplies. Feel free to join us, _woman_ , when you have woken fully!” Ioz growled out the secondary part of his response, and Tula just gave him a confused stare. Boy, wasn’t he touchy today? Or, rather, touchier than usual! 

The older male made his way up the stairs and sighed a little; it was now or never. He wanted to run into the rain forest, but he could not abandon his ship-mates like that. He was not a coward, he was not, he was not… Mentally he chanted that to himself over and over, and Ren gave him a worried look as the pirate emerged from the lower cabin. 

“Chongo longo, let’s go, _boy_!” Ioz finally grumbled and made sure to tie the sack of treasures tightly to his waist. He had forgotten the ring Ren had placed on his finger, but as he looked carefully while he tied his small sachet of gold and jewels to his belt, he remembered the ninth Treasure of Rule was still with him. 

 

Ah… He did not wish to take it off because his lovely prince had entrusted it to him, but it made him look wealthy! And what would his family say if they saw _that_ on the black sheep? He hastily removed the ring and tucked it into one of his boots. 

 

Both of the males climbed from the Wraith and onto land, heading slowly towards the seaside village. As soon as they got there, many of the towns-folk were giving them suspicious stares. One woman in particular with dark hair and darker eyes was staring pointedly at Ioz. The pirate stared back, and his face blanched! It was most definitely his _mother_. Some of her hair seemed to have grayed, but for the most part she still looked youthful, if not just a little weary. And a little thin…


	14. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ioz ends up cornered by his own mother, but he does make up for _some_ of his despicable acts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera
> 
> Oooooh! The sex scene is coming up soon! ｡(✿‿✿)｡

**(Chapter 14)**

(Family Reunion)

 

 

The woman, who had to be in her early fifties, headed in a bee-line for Ioz and the blond boy whom she did not know. The tall man was most definitely her son, and he looked like he had seen a ghost. By the twenty seas, he would _be_ a ghost once she was through with him!

She had even forgotten all of her shopping just to give her eldest child, the _glorious_ pirate and deserter of his family, a very stern talking to! And maybe a few whacks to the head if he answered poorly.

Ioz seemed frozen in fear for but a moment; he whispered something to his blond companion and the two made a run for it further into town. The villagers were just watching with amusement now. All of them remembered Ioz and what a great trouble-maker he was. The daughter of that family was hardly any different, but their poor mother had made sure her younger children were a little more respectable. Poor woman, though she was the one who decided to have such a large family!

“Scupango, Ioz, what are we running for?!” Asked a rather breathless Ren, who was having a little trouble keeping up with the taller man’s stride. The pirate did not look at him as they continued farther in, and instead looked over his shoulder periodically; eventually they had made it to a little tavern that was sure to make some wonderful local food. The dark haired man pushed his prince inside and followed very quickly after.

The blue eyed male was thoroughly confused; he had seen the woman, but Ioz had explained nothing! He had whispered to run, and that the woman was a deal of trouble more than Bloth, which was utterly unbelievable. Now that Ren thought about it… Ioz rather looked _related_ to the older lady. The prince grinned at his new-found epiphany and just let his eyes gleam wickedly up at the scarred man.

 

“You will find out soon enough… Nat-chut, she can be fast when she wants to be!” The pirate grumbled and eyed the man at the bar of the tavern; the man seemed to recognize the tall pirate almost immediately. A large grin spread across the barkeep’s face, and he waved both of the males over.

 

“Why, _Ioz_ I have not seen you in ten years! What brings you back home? Have you made it big, yet? I know that the last your mother was in an uproar when you came back; heard you took some of your father’s gold that time.” The man was speaking with laughter in his voice; clearly he was mocking the town’s trouble-maker.

 

“Not now, Adieel!” The scarred man spoke rather impatiently to the barkeep, who continued to smile. The man, who had to be in his forties or fifties like Ioz’s mother was, had  a squat figure and a generous smile. It was very clear that no one in this village, or no one that they had seen yet, had any dislike for Ioz. In fact, they seemed amused at the prospect of how his mother was probably going to box his ears.

“Let us out the back, you dartha eel, or she will find me! I want to see her, but she is going to take this… Visit the wrong way.” Ioz sounded a little frightened, and all Ren could do was chuckle under his breath. A grown man who was afraid of his mother was ridiculous!

 

“Be my guest, but I think she will find you anyhow.” The barkeep shrugged and opened the little door behind the bar and pointed to the back of the building. He was getting more amusement out of this than he had in years!

Ren thanked the man before he was dragged off by Ioz. Was his companion’s mother really that terrifying? Well, Solia had been a handful, and Ioz was not exactly a dream to be with sometimes, so it was believable. They exited out the back and slunk behind building after building until they reached a small home in disrepair. There was a fence behind it with a tiny garden with a hand pump and a trough for water, and the windows of the home were also small. Even though it was two storeys tall, there were probably no more than two to four rooms in the entire place.

 

“Well… Home sweet home…” Mumbled the pirate and looked down at Ren silently. The blond was shocked that Ioz had led them directly to his old home! But he also supposed that the man was going to see his family regardless; maybe he just did not want to cause a scene in the middle of town. Ioz opened the gate and went for the rotting back door, opening it slowly; unlocked, as usual. His mother was naive to believe that she would not be robbed blind someday!

Both males blinked in the dimness of the house; they were in a tiny kitchen that had a nice sized hearth to cook food over the open fire. There was but one counter for cutting food on, and a tiny larder that contained dried meats, vegetables and other such things. The pantry was no more than a small cubby on the wall containing chipped and cracked dishes. No scullery at all, any washing of the food and utensils was done outside after meals were done. It was quaint, but even Ren knew that this family must have lived a hard life; no wonder Solia had been so harsh with her older brother!

 

The pirate led his prince out of the kitchen and into a small living area where there was a table and about five beds off to the side. “The upstairs has one bedroom, and it is my mother’s. The children stayed down here, but at least it was warm from the hearth.” The dark haired man gave a small shrug, and Ren eyed him sadly; so this was their home, this was where Ioz grew up. Even with their father’s gold, it was hardly big enough to fit much of a family at all!

Both males stopped in their tracks when they heard a door off to the side of the living area open up; in came the same woman that Ioz had been fleeing. She looked livid, and without a word she walked up to her son and slapped him squarely across the face. Ioz’s mother looked as if she was conflicted, like she wanted to beat her son black and blue, but also embrace him and tell him how much she had missed him!

 

“Ioz, how could you not greet your own mother when you come home?” The woman had the same exotic accent that Ioz did, and she sounded both angry and completely elated; in one swift motion she pulled her eldest child into a hug, and then slapped him on the side of the head.

“You take off when you are just a boy, you come back and take off with your father’s gold. Solia left a good two years back, and both of you have become good for nothing thieves! How could you?! You haven’t shown your face here for almost ten years and your own mother begins to believe you have died until Solia comes back with a bit of treasure to keep us afloat!” She was yelling at the top of her lungs at the tall man, and all he could do was stand petrified as she berated him for never being there! Of course his mother would be angry; he never even wrote to her! And he was a pirate, for Kunda’s sake. The scourge of Mer, and he was one of them!

She turned to Ren after giving her son an ear-full and stared at the blond male for what felt like an eternity. “And who is this? Another one of your hooligan friends, Ioz?” The older woman’s voice sounded a little softer now, but she was eyeing the prince warily. After all, if her son was a pirate, who was to say that his companion was not?

 

Ren’s cheeks turned a dark red, both out of embarrassment and a little out of anger. “I apologize, ma'am… I am Ren, prince of Octopon and son of King Primus. Ioz and I, along with two others, are on the search for the thirteen Treasures of Rule!” He spoke with conviction, and the woman’s eyebrows raised very high as she gave him an incredulous stare.

Within a minute, she was laughing so hard that she was doubled over and using her son to keep steady. Was this boy really telling the truth? There was no way!

 

“I was not born yesterday, _boy_. A prince who is friends with a pirate, and of the destroyed city of Octopon no less! By Kunda, you must be jesting!” She continued to laugh as she spoke, but soon the laughter died down and she wiped a tear of mirth from her eye.

Ren was frowning deeply and just giving her a stare of resentment; why on Mer did no one believe him?! It was hard to be on a quest when absolutely nobody believed in it! The Dark Water was just part of life. “Besides, everyone knows that the Thirteen Treasures are just a myth. Our world will be devoured by Dark Water and there is not a jitaten thing we can do about it!” Ioz’s mother was harsh with her words, but the blond could clearly see where Ioz got his personality from!

 

The prince was quiet for a moment; he did not want to talk back to a mother of many children, but at the same time he wished to prove himself for what he really was! “It _is_ true! Look, I have the compass, and my father’s sword!” He pulled both items from his body and laid them on the old table in the middle of the room. Ioz’s mother did not look amused in the least; she just waved it off as the fancy of an adventurous boy.

“We _have_ collected nine of the treasures! Scupango, Ioz, please show her!” He gave a pleading look to the older man as he spoke; the elderly woman turned to her son as well and crossed her arms. Well, they had better show the proof soon, or else they were both just kreld eaters to her! And a good-for-nothing son and his liar friend were not welcome in _her_ home!

 

The dark haired male hesitated for a moment before leaning down to pull the ninth treasure from his boot; he held it in the palm of his hand and presented it to his disbelieving mother. She stared at the beautiful ring and her eyes lit up. “Oh… Oh! By the eight bays of Mer, is it really one of the Treasures of Rule?” She almost seemed faint as she spoke, and she put a hand to her chest; the treasure was brilliant, more-so than she had ever heard! It could be nothing other than one of the fabled Treasures of Rule!

Ioz nodded and pocketed the ring away; quietly, he untied the small satchel from his belt and handed it to his mother. Despite the fact that she was furious with him, he wanted to show that even he could provide for his destitute family. She eyed the satchel curiously and took it from his hands more gently than he would have expected. As she undid the leather tie around the small sachet, she opened it up and her dark eyes grew wide with surprise. Inside were treasures, beautiful jewel encrusted broaches, another ring, and even a necklace. Where had he gotten this?!

“I-Ioz… Is this for us? Did you bring it to our family to… To help us?” Her voice seemed caught in her throat, and tears had begun to well up in her eyes. These treasures were magnificent, and would keep their family a float for a long time. They could even move from their ramshackle home into a nicer one if these treasures were of great value!

 

“It is, mother… I, ah. Nat-chut, do not make me say it!” He gritted his teeth as he spoke and turned away in embarrassment; of course he caught Ren’s disapproving gaze. The prince knew that Ioz had pilfered those treasures from the ancient ruins even when Ren had specifically told him not to!

The blond could not be too disappointed, however, because the older male’s mother seemed so happy. They did live in squalor and they _did_ deserve a better life than this; Ren would turn a blind eye from the act, for now. It was for a good cause, after all.

“I felt guilty, so please… Just take them, mother.” Ioz practically growled the words out; his pride was probably more important to him than his mother being grateful to him, but he did owe the woman who gave him birth _something._ She just continued to weep tears of joy, and a large smile appeared on her face.

Ioz’s mother pulled him in for an embrace; the pirate looked embarrassed, but he gave an _extremely_ light hug back. His mother, on the other hand, was giving him the tightest bear-hug that an elderly woman could manage!

“Augh… Mother, please… I am happy to help the family, just…” The dark haired male turned his face away and patted her back until she ceased her tight embrace. He was a thirty year old man, for Kunda’s sake! His mother could have shook his hand or something, especially in front of Ren!

 

“Oh, don’t you give me that, boy! I carried you around for nine months and had to deal with the rest of your siblings after you left at the age of fifteen. You had better give me some respect!” The older woman spoke sternly and smacked her son upside the head rather roughly. He winced and placed a large, calloused palm to the bruised area. Ioz even muttered something under his breath that sounded like ‘some mother…’, but he held his tongue when she gave him a disapproving glare.

“And here I was going to let you stay here for the night. Oh well, my ungrateful son cannot even show his mother a shred of respect. _Oh!_ What am I to do?!” She brought a hand to her forehead and feigned a very exaggerated look of distraught. Of course she would let him stay anyhow, she just wanted to hear Ioz actually say something kind, _for once._

Ioz rolled his eyes a little and gave a very exaggerated sigh. More than likely this was exactly why he disliked women; they were too fickle and always wanted something more! “Mother, I am very happy to see you again. And, I… ah…. I missed you, okay?” He gave the older woman a sheepish smile that twitched at the edges. She gave him another disapproving look and shook her head. It was not quite good enough. He was almost there, but she wanted to know that he still cared for his old mother and his family.

“Noy jitat…” Grumbled the pirate and closed his eyes tightly, as if getting the affection out in front of Ren was physically paining him! The tall man pulled his mother in for a hug rather reluctantly and sighed. “I love you, mother. Thank you for always letting me stay even when you are angry.” Ioz spoke quickly, but the words were understandable at the very least.

The dark haired male gave an angry glare when he heard a slight chuckle come from Ren; the prince looked away innocently and just smiled. It was sweet! He wished that he could have shown his parents love, as well. Sure, he did have his care-taker who was an awful lot like a mother to him, but he was a little envious of his older friend right now…

 

“All right, all right! Chongo longo, boy! You sure know how to milk it for all it’s worth; you’re allowed to stay. As long as you help around the house.” Ioz’s mother emphasized, but smiled at her tall son all the same. She pulled away and patted her son’s shoulder.

“Now who wants breakfast?” She asked cheerily as she went back into her small kitchen. The older woman went outside to grab a few logs from her tiny backyard and placed them inside of the hearth. After grabbing a bag of cinder sand from her pantry and sprinkling just a dash on the logs, she pulled a nodule of flint and a steel blade, striking them together to allow for a spark to catch.

The spark caught and soon she was humming away as she grabbed an old , long-handled skillet. She placed it on the counter while she searched her larder for a small ice-box, and pulled some deliciously fatty looking meat from the box. That, in and of itself, must have been an expensive commodity! But with the treasures she had been given, she could spare a little. She placed the sliced, fatty meat into the skillet and held it over the small fire in her hearth.

As the meat sizzled away, she instructed Ioz to pull out bread and cheese, and a few plates so that they may eat. He did as he was told, and he even handed Ren a jug to fetch water from a well near by. Soon breakfast was ready and they all went into the living area and seated themselves on the beds to eat their meal. Meat, cheese and bread with water to wash it down; it was a humble breakfast, but one of the best ones that they had eaten in a while! Although Ioz had been reluctant to come home at first, he was happy now that they did.

 

Once they were all through with breakfast, Ren realized that they had not gotten Tula or Niddler! Oh, those two would be furious! On the other hand, they would have a nice, if not a little cramped, place to stay. “Ioz, I believe we must find our companions. Madam, if you do not mind, we are four and in need of a place to stay for a few days until our ship is fixed!” The prince gave Ioz’s mother a small bow and looked at her hopefully. She just smiled and took his plate from him.

 

“Of course. You are very polite, unlike my naja dog of a son here! You and your companions are quite welcome to stay. Though his brothers will be coming home in a few days from work. They are fishermen and miners, so I am often alone… I do so welcome the company, your highness.” She gave a sort of curtsy back and went to the kitchen with her and Ren’s empty plates; she had purposely let her son keep his own since he was perfectly capable of washing it himself!

 

“I’ll be back, Ioz!” The blond male gave a light smile and looked around quickly for prying eyes before he kissed his male companion on the cheek. They had already gone further than that, so a chaste kiss was fairly easy for the prince now; he just had no desire for the older man’s mother to see the act, lest she become more upset with her son and the company that he kept. The pirate just smiled and nodded in response as he brought a hand to his cheek to touch the warm spot where Ren had placed such a sweet kiss.

Ren quickly left the small house and searched the town for his other two companions. He wondered if they had even left the ship yet; there was not much for scavengers there since the Wraith had been practically ruined along with their supplies. Finally he saw Tula and Niddler on the main street, looking around the village curiously. Many people were eyeing the Monkey-bird, for they had not seen many of those before. Very few people in Tayhoj were rich enough for one as a slave, and they were not a native creature there! The feathered creature did look a little uncomfortable about the stares, but he seemed to take it in stride.

 

The prince broke into a jog and called out to the other two. “Niddler, Tula!” He waved a hand and smiled widely as they noticed him. He reached them quickly and chuckled a bit. They actually looked well-rested for being in a storm the night before. But Niddler’s feathers were ruffled and Tula’s hair was sticking up a little strangely. The blond male had not seen himself, so he was sure that he must have looked much the same when he had awoken.

“'Morning!” He greeted his companions jovially and they just smiled a little wearily in return. “By Kunda, you should look a little happier! You’ll be very pleased… We have a place to stay until the Wraith is repaired! And, by the two moons of Mer, you’d never guess who is letting us stay in their home! Ioz’s mother has invited us to room at her home.” His blue eyes widened as he said this, as did his grin; the woman and the Monkey-bird both looked at him incredulously!.

They were both in awe of the fact that this was where Ioz grew up, and even more awed that the unruly pirate’s mother was going to be kind enough to allow for them to have a roof over their heads.

 

  
Without waiting for a response, the prince gleefully motioned for the other two to follow him to the humble abode that they would be staying in. He knew very well that they were in as much shock as he had been in when he had found out that this was Ioz’s home-town, and that his mother was still here while her children had primarily left home. Tula and Niddler followed behind him, whispering amongst themselves.

What should they expect? Ioz was foul tempered and foul mouthed, would his mother be much the same? Then again, if she was offering her home to strangers that were acquainted with her pirate son, she must not have had too awful of a personality; the only question now was, how hard were they going to laugh to see Ioz being pushed around by his own mother?


	15. Much Needed Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Ioz are left to have a little alone time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pirates of Dark Water © Hanna Barbera
> 
> I tried to build up the romantic/sexual tension. Ioz isn't very romantic, is he..? Haha. Oh well, this is where we finally get more to the relationship aspect, and then back to the treasures! Woo! Let's hope I complete this before I diiiiie. (I'm still young, I can do it! Hoo-ah!)

**Chapter 15  
(Much Needed Fun)**

  
Although Ren and the others were treated well as guests, Ioz was constantly put to work by his mother. Had he known he would be cleaning and repairing his mother’s home (although, she seemed to have plans to move using the money from the treasures he had brought her) the pirate would have never left the Wraith in the first place. He would have _already_ been doing this sort of work back at the ship!

Not only that, but they had hardly been able to buy supplies to fix their ship with. Every day, Ren and Niddler would go out to scavenge for wood and rope to patch up the ship - cloth was harder to find, since many birds tore it apart and used it in their nests. It was a laborious task, but having free room and board was worth all of this hard work, except for poor Ioz (though his rough demeanor earned him little pity from his ship-mates).

About the third day that they were there, Tula had gone shopping with Ioz’s mother, and Niddler had gone along to get some minga melons (he wanted to make sure Tula kept her word, since she had bribed him to distract that monster-woman nearly four days prior.) The dark haired man cornered the blond prince in the tiny, outdoor garden before the boy had a chance to go out and find more tools for repairs.

“Ren! Scupango, ever since we got here you have hardly paid attention to me. Is spending time with women more important than I?” The scarred man asked through gritted teeth as he pressed Ren against the wall; the younger male looked surprised at this sudden outburst! He had thought that they were all working so hard to fix the ship and help his older companion’s kind mother. Ren did not realize Ioz had been making eyes at him and trying to get his attention the entire time they had been there.

 

“Ioz, you should have said so sooner… Although we hardly get a chance to be alone.” The blond male spoke softly and averted his eyes for a moment; he was apprehensive at being alone with the pirate! His emotions were like a ship upon a stormy sea, rocky and unbalanced. Sometimes he was elated at the thought of losing his virginity to the pirate, and he wanted to get the taller man alone! Other times, he was scared that it would hurt, or that he would hate it, or that the others would shun him and the older man… And then he just wanted to avoid Ioz. But they were both grown men, and the prince hated himself for being such a coward! The pirate was no longer coercing him into anything, and he had given full consent by now.

Ren sighed and wrapped his arms around his tall companion, pulling him into a tight embrace. “Noy-borca. You… Make me feel so confused, Ioz! Look at me! When you touch me, when you flirt with me I am a feeble-minded mess. When you get angry with me, I want to fight with you, and then thoughts of fighting with you turn into… Other thoughts.” He shook his head; the words he spoke were hardly above a whisper and the pretty blush that the pirate loved so much on his prince was back again. By Daven’s Beard, Ioz wanted to hear what Ren’s angry thoughts turned into when they quarreled… Not that he would ask; they were having a lovely moment as it was.

 

“I see.” The pirate’s voice had lost all bitterness and turned gentle. He caressed one of Ren’s burning cheeks with a rough hand and moved it slowly downward so that he could stroke the boy’s full lips with his thumb; his pretty prince, his gorgeous leader - Ren was everything to him, and somehow more. Ioz needed this closeness. The older man had never had such closeness with any of his lovers, and yet he and Ren had not even become lovers! 

“Well, jitata boy… This idea may make you feel uncomfortable, but knowing my mother she will be gone for hours shopping - Any money she can get her hands on is like giving a child a toy! We have time…” Ioz’s voice was now a husky whisper as well, and he leaned down to kiss Ren firmly on the lips; the blond male made a noise of surprise, but kissed back lovingly. When the pirate pulled back, he could see the contemplation of their situation running through the prince’s head; those blue eyes were so innocent that they never hid a thought unless Ren _truly_ tried to keep something secret.

 

After a few minutes of thinking, and avoiding Ioz’s curious stare, the prince gave an answer. “Noy jitat! I may regret this… But yes. By the blood moons of Mer, I _want_ it right now! We are alone, we are comfortable and… With any luck we won’t get caught.” Ren nodded with fervor as he spoke and Ioz hid a very predatory and elated grin. That had been the answer he was looking for! The pirate grabbed his younger companion by the shoulders and took him inside of the small house.

 

Without so much as a warning, he shoved Ren onto one of the five beds in the tiny living room/sleeping area; it was Ioz’s bed, of course. He was not without _some_ courtesy. As the prince sat there in a slight daze, the pirate went and shut all of the curtains and lit a small lantern on the wall. It was dim, which the scarred man was used to when he had affairs. He could, however, still see the prince in the shadows. Those blue eyes practically glowed!

 

“Ay chonga! Strip your clothes of or at least pull down your trousers!” Ioz said curtly as he turned towards the prince. Ren blinked and laughed a little. He would _not_ get fully naked in case they had to dress quickly, but then there was the problem of having dirtied his clothes…

  
He shrugged the thought off and undid his belt, tugging his gray trousers down to his knees. Ren wondered what to do next as he sat there, eyeing Ioz who was coming closer to him rather quickly. Wordlessly, the pirate pulled the blond male up into a standing position again and flipped him around so that his rear was facing the pirate; Ioz was moving him like one would position a doll!

He made Ren place his hands on the edge of the bed and stick his backside out into the cold air. The prince’s eyes narrowed as he was placed into this position, and he looked over his shoulder. His scarred companion was not undressing yet!  
Ioz knelt down behind his prince and grabbed one of Ren’s smooth, toned ass-cheeks, spreading it a little. He was still amazed that the boy had not a single hair on his body! It was magnificent… The prince had no idea what Ioz was doing, but he gasped and twisted away a little when he felt something warm and incredibly wet probing at his tight pucker. The pirate held the boy’s hips tightly and forced him to be still.

 

“I-Ioz… Chongo longo… W-what are you doing..?” The prince murmured out in a breathy voice. It tickled a little, but it felt _so_ good! Oh Kunda, it was making his knees weak. Ren’s knuckles were turning white with how tightly he was holding onto the bed-frame just to keep his balance. 

  
The pirate just hummed in response, and Ren could feel a soft resonating vibration against his entrance. Oh Kunda! Was Ioz… Using his _tongue_?! The blond male’s face turned a deep red as he felt the wet muscle slide past the tight entrance and bury itself inside of those velvety walls; Ren’s heavy breathing and hardened sex were good indicators of his arousal, but was this not dirty? Could his companion get ill?! 

“By Kunda… Oh… Noy jitat!” Ren cried out as that somewhat long tongue completely buried itself inside of him; it was prodding at a spot inside of his velvety tunnel that he had no idea existed. The prince was losing control of his legs as he felt that strong, wet tongue prod the same spot again and again. His own cock was beginning to leak profusely as his older companion continued. “Ioz… N-No, I’m about to… Please, I want you _inside_ of me before I… Before I, ah!” The blond male pleaded in a lusty voice; but his sentences were choppy as he tried to clear his head.

 

The pirate all but blushed as he heard his prince speak so honestly, and lewdly; he would gladly breach that tight hole with his thick member if that was what his royal highness wanted! By the eight bays of Mer, he wanted it too!

The taller male slowly eased his tongue out of the twitching hole and stood slowly. He undid the belt and sash around his waist, taking no time at all to tug his trousers down. He spat into one of his hands and grabbed his already erect cock, thoroughly coating it with saliva. Although it was not a perfect lubricant, he had nothing else to use and it would do fine. Although, he wondered silently if he would have to stop before long; he had not even readied his prince’s entrance yet! Well… They would soon find out what would be necessary, then.

He grabbed the blond male’s hips and pulled his rear back a little, positioning it properly for penetration; gently, he pressed the pierced head of his member to the tight hole and slowly began to slide it in. Ioz, however, had to stop when Ren let out a cry of pain; he definitely had not readied the boy enough, and the prince had not realized he needed to be played with before the real fun got started!

“You jitata boy! You are a _virgin_ , you should have realized that you would not be ready, yet. Let me work my magic before you plead so prettily with me!” The pirate growled and slowly pulled out again; the blue eyed male was gasping a little and wincing. By Kunda, that had _hurt_! It had felt like he was being impaled, and Ioz had not even gotten more than an inch inside of his entrance! Well, what should he have expected for being overly eager?

 

Ioz reached a hand forward and ran his fingers lightly along Ren’s jawline and up until he found the prince’s lips. He forced them open and shoved his fingers inside. “Get them as wet as you can, boy.” Was all he said, and the blond male began to suck gently on those large, calloused fingers until they were coated well.

  
The pirate pulled his hand away and moved it back towards the younger male’s rear. Ever so gently he held one of Ren’s toned cheeks with a large hand and spread it away; with the other hand, which had the wet fingers, he pressed a digit against the tight entrance and wriggled it slowly inside. The warm, velvety walls swallowed his finger greedily and the prince gave a deep moan.

“Nn-ah! Noy jitat, that feels so good…” He moaned out lustily as Ioz moved the digit in and out, and flexed it inside of the slowly yielding walls. Soon, he added a second finger and began to spread them as far as he could; Ren moaned again, louder this time, and he nearly lost his balance as his knees buckled beneath him.  Oh! The older man had hit _that_ spot again, and it was amazing!

 

Ioz caught the boy around the waist before he could collapse and possibly injure himself. The man no longer spread the cheeks of that gorgeously rounded backside and instead supported the prince as he continued to widen the younger male’s hole as much as possible. Virgins were just trouble! Either they found it too painful and backed off completely, or they were a weak mess. At least Ren had not asked to stop, despite the pain! After another minute, Ioz added a third finger and stretched the velvety tunnel widely; the blue eyed prince gasped and leaned back into that large, calloused hand. His body wanted the pirate so badly that he could hardly contain his guttural moans.

But he wanted the scarred man to make love to him! If he came from the pirate’s fingers, it would not have been worth all the worry and the wait! “Scupango, Ioz… Please! I must be wide enough now, please!” He pleaded with the older man, who continued to move his fingers in and out, and spread them as widely as possible. Well, the tight hole should have had enough give by now for the pirate’s cock to ease in much more gently. His fingers were large, and it had always been a blessing for those sizable digits when it came to readying a partner!

 

With a soft sigh, Ioz removed his fingers completely and leaned down to kiss Ren’s shoulder blades. If the prince thought that he was ready enough, then they could try again; the pirate did not wish to hurt his partner, but time was also dwindling away for them to be able to do this. If the women came back soon, they would be caught… And then what?

“All right, Ren. But if you cry out again, Kunda help me, I will stop and we will end it right here and now!” The pirate was stern as he grabbed Ren’s hips again and positioned them properly; this time as he pushed the head of his almost painfully engorged sex into the tight entrance, it inched in far more smoothly.

The prince let out a sharp hiss of surprise, although it quickly turned to a moan as Ioz continued to slide his cock deeper into the velvety tunnel. The younger male clamped down unintentionally and Ioz groaned in pleasure. “Scupango! Boy, you must relax!” He murmured huskily, but Ren just answered with soft, shallow breaths as he tried to relax himself. He was so nervous still, but it felt better and he wanted it so badly!

Eventually, the pirate had buried his sizable member fully inside of Ren and he stayed still for a few seconds to help the boy adjust to the feel of the member inside of him; the prince was taking deep breaths to stay relaxed and his hole was slowly allowing itself to be widened to a comfortable state.

 

“… By the twenty seas, Ioz, I think I am ready. It does not hurt.” The prince still spoke in a slightly choppy manner, but he pushed his hips back against the older male to show him that movement was now possible! The pirate moved his hands up from Ren’s hips to his chest and held it gently as he began to move in and out; it was slow at first, and the younger male made awkward noises at the feeling of the slick, large sex moving in and out of him. 

  
It was thick and heavy, but it no longer hurt. In fact, after a minute Ioz had sped up considerably and Ren was moaning out the scarred man’s name rather loudly; his fingers held tight to the edge of the bed that they were in front of, and he tried to keep his balance as the thrusts became rougher and more rhythmic. It was strange, but the boy’s brain was hazy, and he could feel his own sex leaking a great deal. They had not been at it for more than five minutes, and already his cock was tensing, as was his abdomen. He was close, oh Kunda, he was close! Each thrust of Ioz’s pierced member hit that bundle of nerves inside of the blue eyed boy, who could no longer be considered a virgin, and it was driving him to near madness with how good it felt!

“I-Ioz… Oh… Oh… By the twin moons I c-can’t –” His voice was cut off as he elicited a vociferous moan and moved his hips in time with the dark haired male’s thrusts; he was so close to a climax and he was greedily trying to pull more of the older male’s sex into him, no matter how impossible it was! A few more thrusts and he… “Oh Kunda…” Ren whispered as his legs turned weak and he nearly lost his balance again. Ioz had hit that sweet spot once more and sent the prince right over the edge!

The blond male’s entire body was trembling with the intensity of his climax! Ioz continued his rough, rapid thrusts as he held Ren’s back to his chest. He could see the prince’s cock twitching as his seed shot out in thick, rapid spurts. The fluid  shot forward and hit the bed, and the pillows; there was so much pent up energy behind the climax that Ren could barely stand even with the help of the pirate. His velvety tunnel clamped down again and again with each spurt, bringing Ioz closer to his own orgasm. “By the twin moons, Ioz…” Was all he could whisper as he tried to regain his senses - The orgasm had been maybe a little _too_ intense and now he was light-headed and weak!

 

The pirate growled deeply and tilted his head down to bite the prince’s neck, causing Ren to gasp in surprise; Ioz would not cry out in the same way, he was the dominant force in this affair! His thrusts had become erratic and short; they had also become incredibly rough as he brought himself closer to climax. His thick fingers dug into the prince’s chest as he slammed his hips into the boy’s rear once more, and then ceased his movement as he emptied his seed into the Prince of Octopon, the blue eyed beauty, and the savior of Mer!

With a gasp, he disengaged his teeth from the boy’s flesh and pulled his face away from Ren’s clearly bruised neck. Ioz kissed the back of the blond male’s shoulders and wrapped his arms even tighter around the boy’s chest; as soon as his own twitching member had completely ceased, he eased it out of the thoroughly coated tunnel and picked the boy up with ease… “It is not easy for me to apologize, but we have no time to bask in the afterglow of our first session. I… Am sorry.” The pirate chuckled, although there was a hint of irritation below the humor. He _had_ wanted to just lay there with Ren, but the women would be back fairly shortly now.

Ioz carried the younger male bridal style to a small side room that was hardly bigger than a closet. It was a bathing room. He placed the boy into the tub smiled serenely, watching as the younger male made sure to tug off the remainder of his clothes.

“Wait there. Mother always keeps water over the fire…” He stepped out of the room and hurried to the kitchen to grab the iron pot of water in the hearth. It was still warm, although there were only embers beneath it instead of flames; well, it would not be hot enough to burn his prince, then. He came back with the large pot and slowly poured it into the very small tub; Ren gasped, but soon he was relaxing in the warm water and cleaning himself. Ioz, on the other hand, did not have much to clean from himself other than a bit of sweat. He dipped a cloth into the water to gently clean the area around his piercing. After that, he went to scrub the remains of their affair from the bed they had soiled. Perfect! He could pretend that Ren wanted a bath and… Well, that would be that. No more questions asked.

* * *

 

Admittedly, the women were gone for a few hours more, even Niddler had not come back for at least an hour after Ioz and Ren had made love. The feathered creature muttered something about women being completely gada when it came to shopping and collapsed on the bed that had been deigned his. He snored rather loudly through his beak and muttered in his sleep about never wanting to see another market stall again! 

Ren and Ioz just laughed; they had been speaking fairly naturally and sitting at the table in the living area, eating bread and cheese and drinking a bit of wine. Both were in good spirits, despite the fact that the prince limped a little whenever he got up to move. When the ladies came back, Ioz’s mother excitedly showed off her new clothes and the choice food she had bought. 

 

And then, there was the big announcement “I bought a house, Ioz! I am proud to call you a son, I have all of this and more money left over from the treasures you have given me. Nat-chut! I… I am so proud. Thank you.” The older woman began to cry with joy as she pulled the pirate into a tight embrace. Despite the fact that he had, indeed, stolen the treasures she was still happy to finally call a pirate her son.

* * *

 

After nearly a week, they had scavenged and bought enough supplies to fix the Wraith (the bowsprit and mast looked as if they had never even cracked), and moved Ioz’s mother into her admittedly much larger home (they did celebrate rather loudly that night and the neighbors complained. They just invited the neighbors over and all was well.) Ren had drank too much wine during their celebration and had to be bent over in the bushes for an hour while Ioz held his hair back and rubbed his shoulders gently a while. Over all, the pirate’s reputation with his mother was good again. 

His siblings came back home to their mother from their hard jobs, they were both ecstatic about each of them having a room, and completely jealous that the black sheep was the one who had pilfered the money to even get it!

 

The Wraith was in ‘ship-shape’ so to speak; Ioz was having a tearful goodbye with his mother (she cried, he just patted her back and tried to escape her embrace.) Finally, he was able to get back to the Wraith, and he wore the ninth Treasure of Rule again to proudly show off as they shoved off and out to Octopon to return the Ninth Treasure.


	16. Unexpected Surprise

**Chapter 16  
(Unexpected Surprise)**

 

 

The trip to Octopon took a few days, but they had not encountered another storm at sea while they sailed. Nor had they encountered Bloth; the only thing that troubled two of the crew were the inside jokes and closeness of Ren and Ioz. Tula crossed her arms when she saw them whispering to each other, and Niddler wondered what all the tension amongst the crew members was all about!

Tula would grunt indignantly every time she was given an order, although Ren and Ioz did work just as hard as she did, but they did it _together_ and it annoyed her greatly! What had brought them so close, she wondered? Ren periodically had a bit of a limp, but he seemed uninjured; the men would sometimes sneak away down below to gather nets and other things. They would take too long, but she had to keep an eye out for Bloth so she hardly ever had time to go down and scold them!

Finally, though, after three days of almost constant sailing they were at Octopon! Ren presented Jenna with the beautiful ring, a treasure of Rule! Although it was only one, it was still cause for celebration! The newly restored Octopon was booming with trade; it was not back to its full splendor, but there were many more residents than before. There were happy homes, and people who had immigrated to the city once they had heard of its restoration!

At the palace, Jenna and a few other servants made the feast for their prince and his friends. Niddler, of course, was the most excited; Ioz was the second most excited as he practically drooled over all of the delicacies that a royal family would eat. Even Tula and Ren were overjoyed with the bounty of food they were being presented with! 

 

* * *

 

“Oh, I could stay in Octopon forever…” Belched out Niddler as he patted his stomach; the others looked just as satisfied but not quite as full. 

 

“Me, too.” Hummed Tula in satisfaction; she had not had such a wonderful meal since she had left Andorus. Ioz, on the other hand, had _never_ had such a wonderful meal. He was still eating here and there as he tried to become as full as possible. 

 

“Ren, we ought to stay a few days!” Ioz said happily as he continued to greedily eat the scraps of food. Ren allowed the rudeness, since he had seen how Ioz and his family had lived before. The prince just nodded and laughed a little. He did not mind staying back home, and in the palace no less!

Octopon had been such a wonderful place to stay now that it had magically been rebuilt. He no longer had to be a lighthouse keeper, and Jenna was still his care-taker. If he still did not have more treasures to find, he would have happily stayed there forever.

 

“Well, I am done with dinner. Scupango, I’m more full than I have felt in ages!” Ren grinned widely and stood from the table; his companions were lazily slouched in their seats and letting the food shock wear off before they got up. “I am going to take a bath and sleep. I would recommend you all do the same at your leisure, of course. But it is not every day you get to enjoy the comforts of a castle… Even this is new to me.” The prince laughed and began to leave the room.

He stopped when he heard another seat slide away from the table; the blond male turned his head to see who it was. Ah, Ioz, of course. “Are you ready for sleep as well, my friend?” Ren asked casually. He had become more able to hide their relationship over the past few days and he was able to speak with Ioz as easily as he had been able to before. The other two were none the wiser, or so he thought.

 

“Mm… Something like that.” The pirate groaned a little as he stretched and popped the vertebrae in his back in a most satisfying way. Really what he meant was: ‘I plan to join you in the bath, follow you to the room and tie you to the bed so we can make love.’ Although, making love was not _quite_ the right term; he wanted to dominate the prince and fuck him absolutely senseless!

They headed away from the dining area; Tula’s eyes narrowed, but she did not follow. Those two had been oddly close during these past few days and Ren had some interesting bruises appearing on his body after he and Ioz were alone for long periods of time. She did not know what they were up to; training to fight was a possibility, but it seemed improbable. Well, except for the limp that the prince sometimes had.

 

“Noy jitat, there they go again… Niddler, have you any idea as to what they’ve been doing while alone?” She looked to the food-dazed Monkey-bird who just blinked at her slowly. He gave a small shrug and straightened up in his seat.

 

“As I see it, it is none of my business.” The feathered creature said softly and pushed his chair away from the table as well. “Their doings are just that, their own. I only care about two things: minga melons, and being safe. They can train or do whatever it is they do and as long as they do not bother me I will do the same.” His words seemed wise, but in reality they were the speech of a tired and full Monkey-bird who wanted nothing more than to sleep.

“They could be mates, as well.” He said as an after-thought and shrugged. “My kind rarely has more than one female in the tribe, so two males being mates is not entirely unheard of. I have learned over time that your kind also seeks the affections of the same sex. Whatever it may be, I wouldn’t let it bother you. Though, I think I rather like Zena of the Morbo… Maybe when the quest is through, I shall join her as a mate.” Niddler was waddling off and out of the dining area; he planned to head to his rooms. Tula, on the other hand, decided she may just sneak into Ren’s chambers and see what was _really_ going on.

 

First, however, she had asked Jenna where the library was under the pretense of getting lost. At least she would have a plausible story, and a backup plan if necessary; luckily, she found out that the library was not all that far from Ren’s chambers in the first place, which was perfect…

 

* * *

 

It had taken Tula a little while to find Ren’s chambers using Jenna’s directions to the library to guide her, but he had left the door completely unlocked! She tip-toed in and found that there was a waiting room outside of his regular chambers; it must have been for when guests visited. Behind the door to his actual bedroom, she could hear muffled moans and a rather creaky bed.

Now what on Mer could that be? She knelt down and peered into one of the large keyholes of the door; what she saw made her cover her mouth before she could make a sound of surprise! Ren and Ioz were on the prince’s expansive bed, and the prince was tied face-down with beautiful silks. One wrist to each post at the front of the bed, and his ankles tied to the posts at the bottom. His hips were bucking rather wildly and Ioz was not being terribly gentle with him!

Oh… My. The pirate was taking his liberties with the prince’s bound body. He was smacking the boy roughly on his toned ass with his leather belt, and grabbing his hair to tug the prince’s head back, growling out dominantly into the boy’s ear for Ren to call his name. The prince seemed to call out ecstatically and practically arched into the next whack from the leather belt. She had worked as a barmaid, so it was not as if she had not heard things at the inn she worked at, but this was… It was her two friends, and it was beyond erotic -- fast approaching the territory of being too explicit for one’s own good.

Tula’s eyes were much wider than before and she could not help but gasp softly. She fled the room quietly and made it to her own bedchambers. The young woman was not sure whether she wanted to cry for the loss of Ren to Ioz, or to blush and  run the scene over and over in her head again. It had been an arousing display; she was not used to watching _others_ do such acts, and two men together was fascinating! 

 

“Kunda, what do I do? Who do I speak to?” She asked herself softly as the events inundated her thoughts. More details were forming in her mind; the way that the prince was obviously aroused and begging, and how well-endowed Ioz was. 

By the blood moons of Mer, she would never be able to see those two the same way again! At least, not for a while. She would have to avoid them until their journey resumed, but then what..? The young woman almost wished she had watched for just a little longer… It was not every day that one got to see such a display of depravity!    
  


She did not feel much jealousy, she realized after the shock had worn off. In fact, she not really felt _that_ sort of love for Ren since they had met. He had become like a brother to her; maybe it was because he and Ioz were both equalizing factors: Ren was the rational, yet more naive one, while Ioz was brash and a little _too_ worldly. Wordlessly, she left her chambers again and went to the library this time. She would have to bury her imagination in the information of books and other things.

It was a little difficult to do, and she had ended up falling asleep as she read scrolls on magic and Ecomancy; she had also been charting a rather out-dated map to update it. It was in good condition for having been in a palace that had been previously crumbling to the ground. Maybe the magic of the Treasures of Rule restored everything and not just the city itself.

 

* * *

 

Morning came, and Tula was awoken by the care-taker, Jenna. She blinked blearily at the older woman and stretched. “There is breakfast ready in the dining hall, my dear.” The aged woman with red hair said softly and patted the Ecomancer on the back. Tula just nodded sleepily and looked down at the scroll she had been studying before she had dozed off.

Oh, it was something on royal rules and regulations; when had she pulled this one out? Most of what she had been interested in was Ecomancy itself, but apparently in her weary haze she had wanted to see if… If Ren and Ioz could be together, maybe? The dark haired girl did not know what she was looking for exactly, but her bright, green eyes scanned over the laws again. There was nothing against two men together, so at least in that her two friends would be safe. But would Ren be shunned by his people if he was outed?

A king with no heir and lover of a pirate was not exactly what people looked for in their leaders. She sighed and rolled up the scroll, putting it back in place. The other scrolls on Ecomancy she would keep to read for while they stayed in Octopon, but… Now she was trying to sort her feelings out rather numbly. She _knew_ that she did not want Ren like that, especially now! But him with Ioz… It seemed a little dangerous for them to be a couple. Tula would have to speak to the prince when she could get him alone; they would have to sort his life out, because she did not wish for him to be outcast from his home. It would be as painful to him as it was for her to find Andorus and all of her family wiped out by the Dark Water…

 

She soon made her way to the dining area and found only Niddler there, happily munching on minga melons and other fruits. “Where are Ren and Ioz?” She asked him quietly. He shrugged a little and tilted his head.

 

“Haven’t seen them all morning. So, I would assume that they’re still asleep.” The Monkey-bird laughed a little and took another bite of his food. “More for us, then! Right?” He was eyeing Tula with interest; she had a faraway look in her eyes and seemed to be thinking of something as she pulled out her chair and sat down.

“Is something on your mind..?” The feathered creature asked a little more quietly, and she turned her pensive gaze to him. _Of_ _course_ something was on her mind, something had been since the night before and it had come to her well before she snooped around. Quietly, she nodded and leaned in to whisper to the Monkey-bird.

 

“Noy jitat, you were right, you know! What you told me about two men being lovers… I mean, I did not think that they… Well… Ah, chongo longo Niddler, I feel conflicted about it! I am happy for them, but I worry for Ren’s future.” She murmured to the winged creature; his already large eyes grew larger still. Now, he had already suspected ever since Ren and Ioz had spent more time alone together, but to be right about it was something else entirely.

 

“Are you sure?” He whispered back, and she nodded adamantly. So then, his instincts were not off when it came to humanoid creatures either! Niddler smiled a little smugly and began to laugh. He did so enjoy being right!

 

  
Tula gave his head a light smack and shook her own head “His people cannot find out, you know? Scupango, what would they think of their prince?!” She asked him in a hushed voice, and he realized why she was whispering in the first place! Humanoids had such strange rules and customs, but he supposed that since Ren was a prince, then he was expected to have a wife… 

Just as if the Queen of the Monkey-bird’s had turned out to prefer females and then their own would die out… By Daven’s Beard, this would be far more complicated than he had thought!

 

“I won’t tell if you won’t.” He said finally, and the green eyed woman just nodded somberly. Now all they had to do was sit down and talk with their prince, and possibly with Ioz as well.


End file.
